Princessia in the Snow
by keroberus
Summary: At 18, Elize finds out she could be dying from the booster research she endured at Labari Hollow and the darkness in her heart is consuming her. Elize receives support from her friends, and from one man in particular who is more connected to her past than she previously realized. Will she be able to live out her parent's wish and live a "long and healthy life"? (After Xillia 2)
1. A finite time

A note: Perhaps one of the most overlooked Tales of Xillia character who has an interesting (and sad) back-story is Elize Lutus. I couldn't help but wonder what she would be like when she grew up. Here's an after Xilla2 story of what happens when Elize finds out she's dying from the after effects of booster research she endured at Labari Hollow; and how she receives support from a surprising source who is in fact more connected to her than any other character in Xillia. I own no rights to the characters of Xillia.  
-K

**Chapter 1: A finite time**

Elize watched as her undersecretary bowed politely and presented the tea tray. Chamomile and honey, just the way she liked it. She waited patiently for Driselle, with only the sound of the ticking clock nearby to accompany her thoughts.

Recalling the shocked expression on Jude's face last week when she told him she was dying confirmed to Elize that it was the last thing he expected her to say during her visit to Helioborg.

She had no desire to do that to Driselle.

"I should have properly said 'hello' first," she sighed and gave her stuffed doll Teepo a defeated smile as he sat quietly on a shelf. In the off position for a while now, Teepo grinned at her in his own encouraging way, even if he remained lifeless.

When Jude had overcome the initial shock, he sat down to go over her symptoms in his office at Helioborg Research Center. At first it seemed like a cold had settled in her chest, but when she started coughing up blood she knew it was serious. Given her history with doctors and scientists, Jude was the only one she trusted to examine her. His father, Dr. Mathis in Leronde, had written a paper on a similar type of sickness from old spyrix technology and its overuse in the past. Though Elympios had long since refined the technology and dispersed the harmful effects, in its infancy, booster research led by the insurgent tribes of Auj Oule on Rieze Maxia was very harmful to humans. They all had exposure to every aspect of the research and many test subjects did not survive.

By the third generation booster, types that were not attached directly to the body, such as the type that was installed in Teepo, the side-effects were almost non-existent, depending on the level of use.

However no research on long-term effects existed since the Labari Institute had been destroyed and abandoned. The current whereabouts of its unwilling test subjects were unknown.

All save one.

"Let me go with you," Jude had said, when she decided she would travel to Auj Oule to see if she could find the other test subjects and if necessary, direct them to Fennmont for treatment.

"No. You're still working on your thesis regarding the new spyrite you've created. We can't wait for you to lecture on it when the science summit comes to Sharilton," Elize had said firmly. "For now there isn't much you can do without data. But when I come back I definitely intend to rely on you."

Whether there was any cure was still uncertain. For days they had consulted medical texts downloaded into the Helioborg network that archived the recipe for an ancient herbal remedy used to heal respiratory symptoms. It included frozen everbloom roots as a base ingredient. Since everbloom plants were abundant in the Mon Highlands it seemed preordained that Elize would be traveling to Auj Oule once more, back to her beginnings.

Now she only had to convince Driselle, who was her older sister in all ways except by blood, to allow her go alone.

"Absolutely not," was Lady Driselle's immediate response. Her lower lip jutted out in a familiar pout and Elize almost saw her stamp a noble foot. Driselle, a blue blood through and through of the esteemed Sharil stock, was also her adopted family. Elize's name in the Sharilton registry was currently recorded as "_Elize Lutus Sharil_."

Now that she was finished with school and at the legal age for all things, including employment, she served as the secretary to House Sharil and participated in the day-to-day governing of the townspeople she had grown to love as if she had grown up with them all her life.

"If you're sick, you're staying home and I'll employ agents of Sharilton to go for you."  
"No," said Elize resolutely. "This is my past…these are…demons I have to face alone." She took another sip of tea and looked at her reflection in the glass window. Past the pane, she could see the flower garden in full bloom. The gloomy thought that she would like her ashes spread in the garden flitted up to the surface of her mind but she forcefully pushed it down again as she swallowed a bite of scone.

"Besides, you'll have the first World Science Summit to plan. We lobbied so hard to host it in Sharilton and it's going to be a huge project. Representatives from Rieze Maxia and Elympios are all coming and there are so many details to go over. I'll only be gone for a month, maybe two, and then I promise I'll come back to help you with the rest." Elize handed her sister a leather bound notebook that was almost filled to the brim with ideas and notations and meeting cards of people who would assist Lady Driselle.

"Here are the plans I've drawn up thus far. My undersecretary will know what to do."

Driselle looked at the notebook with a wrinkled brow for a long moment before she finally exhaled.  
"Oh very well. But at least take someone with you - Alvin, or maybe Leia. If I told your friends what was going on every single one of them would leap forward to assist, no doubt."

"Don't tell them," pleaded Elize. "Alvin is busy now that business is booming and Leia is still on her book signing tour. Ludger…would probably go, but his wife just gave birth to little Elle. Rowen's almost at the end of his last term as Prime Minister before he retires for good. I don't want him to focus on anything but what he was meant to do."

"Are you sure?" asked Driselle, doubtfully. Rowen was like a grandfather to them both, and if Driselle had not adopted Elize, Rowen would have offered to take her into House Ilbert. Nowadays he still sent thoughtful presents and letters to them both, doting on them even when he was so busy, as if he really was their grandfather.

"I'm positive. If anything, Rowen's taught me that we each have a finite time here and we have to make the most of it. This is something I must do." Driselle could see the resolve in Elize's eyes.

Even after several attempts of persuading her to stay, Driselle gave up, realizing there was no ground to be gained. The only thing she could do as an older sister was give Elize enough gald for travel and lodging, as well as a spare crest for the House of Sharil in case she had to borrow on credit.

She then went shopping with her little sister to make sure she had the best of everything. There was always time for shopping, and shopping always calmed Driselle's nerves.


	2. The cold never bothered her anyway

**Chapter 2: The cold never bothered her anyway**

As the wagon jostled and bumped her about, Elize marveled at how Sharilton wool really did keep the cold out, even in the Mon Highlands.

She was traveling with merchants, _en route_ to Kanbalar from Xian Du, and the cool, crisp breeze seemed to permeate everything except her clothes.

Kanbalar was now the capital of Rieze Maxia, though the king and his prime minister alternately spent time in Fennmont where they were refining a parliamentary system with the Six Ruling Houses. In school, Elize had studied the nuances of these politics, due to Driselle's involvement, and the parliamentary system would govern the southern cities since Rashugal's king had been permanently unseated.

Elize had spent a few years before her graduation assisting Driselle in re-establishing communication with the scions of each House, all but driven into hiding by the bloodthirsty Rashugallian King Nachtigal.

Her once shy sister was so adept at communicating and networking with people now that Driselle often said it was a shame Elize was not going into politics on a larger scale; but the day to day management of Sharilton was enough for Elize to tackle if only to lessen the burden on Driselle and Rowen.

With Jude's influence, of course, came the study of medicine. Elize was surprisingly adept at botany and formula memorization and she loved helping people.

Since mana lobe channeling was integrating with spyrite use for ordinary people, Jude thought it especially important for healers like himself and Elize to be familiar with alternative methods of treatment, such has herb lore, medical technology and pharmaceuticals to pass on a well-rounded curriculum to the next generation of spyrite wielders and arte users in both Reize Maxia and Elympios.

Many alternate forms of medicine had come from the libraries of the Ministry of Healing in Auj Oule, and were incorporated into Talim Medical School's curriculum by the King's recommendation.

Elize was well versed in all of it. Yet, for all her knowledge, she had no idea what was wrong with her own body.

She sighed. Staring through the light icy drizzle, Elize remembered it was cold that day her parents were slaughtered by men in search of the fugitive, Jiao. She remembered little about the incident since she spent most of that time hiding in a barrel but she remembered the bright color of blood against the pure white snow.

It was also cold that day she was sold by Isla of Kitarl for eight hundred gald to the Labari Institute as a test subject.

Her cell in the Labari Hollow was as cold as the grave but it was the only place she had known to call "home" for a very long time. As one of the only successful test subjects, she had survived long enough to be liberated from that horrible place. But Jiao had only led her to another prison in Hamil; where she lived in a cellar and where the children made fun of the pale little girl who had forgotten the smell of flowers in the Spring and the feel of grass under her feet.

She was grateful that Jude and her friends had taught her how to smile again.

The wind that was blowing harder now but the frost that assaulted the tip of her nose was nothing to her. Her Bunnykins ear muffs, a relic of her school days, kept the cold and the clatter of the wheels out, and all she had left was the quiet, peaceful reverie of friends and places that kept her heart eternally warm.

When she reached the Kanbalar Inn, further investigation probed some tentative leads at best. But Nils, the only scientist at Labari Institute who actually cared, was dead and gone; and Wingul, who had promised to take care of them was also dead.

Her acquaintance Wingul was referenced as "Lin Long Dau" in the Kanbalar texts she studied at the Academy. He was once leader of the Long Dau tribe; though back at Labari she had only known him as a young man determined to be stronger: the only volunteer at Labari.

With sleeping quarters close to one another she and Wingul had developed an affinity for each other's company in that brief time. She was the only one capable of sparring with him during the test runs. He would sneak a porange from the kitchens for her when she did well.

Wingul had great visions for Auj Oule's future, though most of it was beyond her understanding as a ten year old. He had once told her that if the King diverged from that future, Wingul would be the first to cut him down. In contrast, he was also fiercely loyal to his king; and it was this internal conflict of love and rivalry that drove him to the edge of madness. There was no doubt the booster implant had made Wingul unhinged at the end, though his heart was still in the right place.

Elize was there to witness the horrible after effects of a booster used beyond its limits. His blood pooling around his serene death mask as he lay on the crystalline floor of the gods' dimension seared into her memory.

Elize had seen much in her adolescence, enough for lessons to last a lifetime, but the weight of what she had experienced would not be realized until she was both older and wiser.

It was her friends and family who kept her grounded, and she was grateful she could turn to them. Wingul, on the other hand, seemed to have no one. He mostly kept to himself and she wondered if he had ever opened up to anyone before the end. She had seem him keeping a journal back then, making detailed accounts of the research.

She wondered where it might be now. If he had left it behind before he died, it would still be in Kanbalar. Though the odds were slim, Elize hoped the clues were there to find. Now that Nihls, Wingul, and her former guardian Jiao were gone, there was no one left to ask.

Trying not to feel her frustration Elize took the cable car up to Castle Gaius and marched determinedly through the snow-covered cobblestones to the nearest soldier to ask for the Minister of Archives.

When she found the rotund little minister dressed in his flashy court robes, seemingly more pleased with himself than anyone he stared at down his nose, getting information from him proved challenging.

Though she had politely declared herself of the House of Sharil and she was conducting medical research to save lives, none of this impressed him. He practically kicked her out of his office since it was closing time but Elize would not back down and took the heated discussion into the hallway. Fighting with Jude and the others had at least taught her gumption.

Elize also recognized the giant bronze crest at his waistband as the symbol of Kitarl. The irony of having to ask a Kitarl for help did not escape her.

"I'm looking for the articles and effects of a late member of the Chimeriad. In particular, I'm speaking of Wingul, who is now deceased…. I know he kept a journal. Do you know if the belongings of the Chimeriad are stored?"

"I know that the King sealed their rooms in the castle and if they left anything, it should still be in there," the man sniffed. "But the doors are locked and you need the castle steward to open it."

"Where is he?" she asked, a little perturbed that this man was so useless.

"He's off shift, now. It's nearly sunset. You'll also need permission." He proceeded to pick his ear and flick away the ear wax off his finger.

"Ugh," Elize groaned both inwardly and outwardly, trying to keep her cool. "How would I go about getting permission?"

"From the King, of course. You would need to petition. He's just returned from Fennmont and he's listening to grievances in the Audience Hall. Though, the line is really long today, and it's nearly time to close the gates. Come back tomorrow," he dismissed.

Elize paused and put her thumb and forefinger at the bridge of her nose to collect herself and take a deep breath.

"I have traveled non-stop from Sharilton to Kanbalar, sleeping in a wagon, drinking cold goats milk and eating some sort of jerky for five days. I am sort of in a hurry because people may be dying. In the name of all that is good," said Elize between her teeth in a smile that resembled Teepo's, trying not to get angry, "those at Labari were kidnapped and sold into slavery by _your_kinsmen," she said bitterly as she prodded the man's ruffled collar with her forefinger. "The least you could do is skip the formalities and get someone to simply open a door." Elize's raised voice echoed down the stone hall.

"It is out of my hands, my _Lady_," he scoffed. "You must speak with the King and he is taking the petitions of _Auj Oule_ citizens first."

His arrogant attitude was igniting something in her head, something that Teepo would approve. She swung her mage's staff out from under her cloak and brought it down hard on the stone tiles, cracking the floor. The strength of the action and sudden movement made the round man jump back with alarm.

"For the love of Maxwell," she said with a dangerous glare in her eyes, "By Article Four, section twenty-three of the King's Decree when he ascended the throne, all children born in Auj Oule are citizens by birthright unless otherwise renounced or taken away by order of law. As a citizen of Auj Oule _by birth_ I demand an audience with the king…right _now_." Each word was articulated carefully and each syllable made the man shrink back further as her staff and her eyes started to reflect a steely gray. She pointed its tip at his sweating face. "You will take me there, Minister." Collecting herself again, she smiled sweetly and added, "Please."

"If it is an audience with the king you seek, I am here," said a low, deep voice from behind her. "There is no need to break my floor."

Elize turned to see King Gaius staring at her with an inscrutable expression. When he stepped closer his eyes widened with recognition.

"Elize?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Gai-" she started, but caught herself and dropped a curtsy instead to the king of Rieze Maxia. Elize cleared her throat. "Your Majesty, I am doing some medical research on Labari Hollow's booster development…and Wingul…." she faltered when she saw a reaction in his eyes and spoke more gently.

"Perhaps Your Majesty would like to hear my appeal in a more convenient location than the hallway?"

Gaius looked at the young woman before him curiously. She was no longer the slip of a naive girl he once knew but had blossomed into a young woman with intelligent eyes. He expected no less from his Prime Minister's prized protégé.

"Yes," he responded. "I am about to eat. Come with me and I will hear you out." This king offered his elbow to her like a true gentleman, and Elize marveled at how much Rowen had rubbed off on Gaius.

He had been much more intimidating to her when she was a child but now, though still towering above her at over six feet, he seemed very human and less god-like in person.

Still, he was about to have dinner and most likely had not eaten all day. She hesitated to interrupt his meal.

Noticing her troubled expression, he added, "We are old comrades-in-arms are we not? After all, there is no harm in 'catching up' as they least I can do is feed you something other than cold goat's milk and jerky. Besides, Rowen would give me a fierce tongue lashing if he thought I acted rude to his beloved Elize in any way. There is nothing more hair raising than seeing my Prime Minister angry."

Elize smiled at his frank nature. This was the person she had been acquainted with while traveling with Ludger and not the king who sat on the high chair in the throne room of the castle.

"Are you not still in school?"

"That was a while ago. I'm almost nineteen," she smiled.

"You are reminding me of how old I am," he grimaced. Elize only laughed in response.

The Minister of the Archives had to pick his jaw off the ground as he watched the king escort the strange young woman to his private dining room.


	3. The chimera's wing

**Chapter 3: The chimera's wing**

As they sat in his dining chamber and ate a simple but deliciously cooked meal, Gaius realized something was amiss.

"Now that I think of it, you never did go anywhere without that doll. I remember you and Teepo made laudable partners when we linked in battle. He had the most impertinent comments as well; it was quite amusing. Though, I suppose as _your _puppet, it was really _your_impertinence back then." Elize blushed and looked away, sipping her soup from an ornately carved wooden spoon.

"Teepo is still a part of me, but I can hardly be carrying around a stuffed doll at my age, Your Majesty," she said, without revealing her suspicion that further use would make her more sick.

"Gaius," he corrected. She stared at him blankly.

"Or better still, Erston. Just Erston."

She smiled. To outsiders it would seem odd calling the king by his given name but it was how Gaius preferred to be called by those he felt closest to. Though most of the recent contact she had with the king was through Rowen, she found it surprisingly easy to speak to him alone, no matter how long it had been, just like when she was younger.

He had bought small trinkets and sweets for both her and the other Elle when they adventured with Ludger. Her smile broadened thinking he must have also been a doting brother for Miss Karla.

Like this, she fell into her old habit of forgetting he was the king of the entire continent.

"Initially I did not want Teepo as my social crutch. But after making friends at school, and going on other adventures… I realized Teepo was already a part of who I was. But he kind of gets in the way of my work with Driselle, with those insults and off-colored comments and all," she said with a side glance only to see the king chuckle, most likely recalling how "off color" Teepo could be.

"Teepo was my first friend, after all. The Institute trained me to fight with him so it was really hard to separate myself from him at first."

Gaius observed the brief, hollow look in her eyes that momentarily clouded her expression. It was a look he understood from experience stemming from great loss and suffering. He knew it well.

"That brings us to the topic of conversation earlier. You are looking for the whereabouts of the research subjects from the Institute. For that, you wish to see Wingul's belongings?"

"I know Wingul kept a journal of the research he was undergoing, which would be helpful to understand and identify the symptoms of the survivors from Labari. In my study of medicine at Talim I've hypothesized that extensive first and second generation booster exposure may have had negative, chronic side effects on the users."

"It really is a blessing and a curse that I was trained with a third generation booster." A wistful look passed her eyes but it was gone with a blink, followed by a genuine, beautiful smile. Her pale face lit up the room as she did, and the glow of her golden hair against the candle light made her seem almost ethereal.

"It's a personal quest of mine. I want to help the survivors left, if there are any. As to finding their whereabouts, I suppose I could start knocking on every door," she said jokingly.

"Perhaps it will not come to that," he said encouragingly. "What will you do when you find them?"

"I'll document their symptoms for treatment and ask that the government provide for their medical care and expenses."

"Of course," said Gaius pondering her words. "As the former king Auj Oule and current king of all Rieze Maxia I owe a responsibility to the weak and exploited who suffered at the hands of my subjects, and to set them right again."

His brow wrinkled. "I heard what you said to that rotund Minister of Archives. But how came you to be a person of Auj Oule? You hardly look native."

Elize giggled at his description of the minister who had earlier given her such a hard time. "I was born in Auj Oule," she said matter-of-factly. "Does that surprise you?" His expression told her that it did.

"I suppose Rowen didn't tell you how Jiao knew my family when he was a fugitive, or how the Kitarl sold me to the Institute?"

His eyes darkened at the word "sold." Slavery had not shadowed Auj Oule for many centuries since before he took the throne. Gaius pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I knew of reports that people had been kidnapped for research. At the time, I did not give it much thought except it was a means to further Auj Oule's goals. I recall that Jiao had asked me if he could leave the Chimeriad for a short time to take a child away from Labari to Hamil because he owed her family a debt, but I did not realize who he had meant until much later."

Elize took another sip of her warm tea and looked at the flickering candle in front of her but said nothing. The pain of the past was a distant memory now, yet she did not like to dwell on it.

"He was a very able guardian to me," she said quietly. "His heart was in the right place."

"You have become one of the strong," he mused. "Though you were weak and needed protection in the beginning. You are like Jude in that respect. I suppose you studied medicine to follow him?" There was a wry smile on his face that invited a blush in response.

"I was not following him around like a love-struck puppy, if that's what you're implying. But yes, I studied medicine to be like Jude. Since I know healing artes, I wanted to learn more about herb lore and medical techniques for everyday people so I could teach them to help themselves. Now that I'm able, it's my turn to help anyone who needs me."

King Gaius looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. Jiao would have indeed been proud.

He then answered, "I have heard your petition and I agree. I will give orders to have Wingul's room opened immediately and you are welcome to its contents."

-000-

When the castle steward was roused from his room and was asked to open a sealed door for a young woman in the middle of the night he was a bit put out by the inconvenience. But when he noticed the king was standing sternly behind the girl with arms crossed and looking unamused at how long it had taken him to get dressed, the steward completed his task in record time, wondinerg all the while how the young lady could influence King Gaius on such a whim.

The door creaked open and the stale smell of time assaulted her nose. She held a hand to her face but suddenly someone held a handkerchief out in front of her. Elize gratefully took the king's kind gesture and stepped inside. After opening the windows to let in the night air she lit the candles with a small spell and looked around.

There were books neatly piled, papers stacked and an untouched bed but nothing out of the ordinary. She went straight for the pillow and turned it over. Sure enough it was there.

The king cocked his head in mild amusement.

"He had a habit of keeping important items close to him," she explained. "If he did not travel with it I would imagine he would had slept with this here, just as he did at the Institute."

"You were close enough to know that?" Gaius asked.

"I wouldn't say we were _close_. I found him...curious. Curious enough for a little girl, anyway. I liked to watch him. He was always so graceful in battle."

Elize flipped through the pages of the journal and scanned the last few entries. "Our time together was short. I rarely spoke back then so he did most of the talking. He was as fierce as he was loyal. He was smart and he was ruthless. I disapproved of things he did, and sometimes his methods as well. But sometimes he smiled at the things I said. He thought it was important for humans to try to exceed their limits and encouraged me to be good enough so that I could leave Labari."

Scanning the pages of the journal she ran across several references to a person of the Long Dau clan, Belburu.

"Do you know a Belburu of the Long Dau tribe?"

"He attended Wingul's duties when he and Nils were no longer watching over the Long Dau. He was still alive, of late, though I have heard he had taken ill. He lives in Xian Du."

"I suppose I can go back to Xian Du again, and make inquiries," she said as she walked over to the candle to blow it out.

Before she could do so a sudden onset of coughing squeezed her airway and nearly sent her to her knees. She held the handkerchief against her mouth and breathed in its lavender scent. It soothed her.

Immediately Gaius was her side, holding her up and leaning her against his solid form for support. "Are you all right?"

Extremely concerned he rushed her out of the room.

"Just a dust allergy," she choked out. With a wave of her hand all the remaining light in the room flickered out.

"You seem a bit feverish," he said, his large hand unabashedly on her forehead. "Rowen would never forgive me if I let you set off in this condition. Allow me to send someone to make inquiries for you. You must rest in the castle until you are well enough to travel."

"But I'm-"

"You cannot help the weak if you are not strong," he insisted.

She paused and nodded resignedly in consent.

Elize took the journal, giving one last glance at the room of someone who was no longer of this world. He was one of few people who had shown her kindness when the rest of the world did not. "Wingul was a dragon who flew too close to the sun and it burned him," she said wistfully. "But he was beautiful."

"He was," Gaius said softly.

She looked up and smiled. "Perhaps Wingul is still watching over you. I think he would approve of who you have become. A dragon who became the sun for all of Rieze Maxia."

Gaius looked at her curiously and an unfamiliar feeling stirred in his chest. "Shall I escort you to your room?" he asked.

"My room? I'm already staying at the-" she started to explain.

"The gates are locked now and the weather is too cold to venture out into the night in your condition. Come with me." With that commanding tone Elize walked beside him, appreciative of the protective warmth of his arm around her shoulder.


	4. Princessia in the snow

Chapter 4: Princessia in the snow

To her dismay, Gaius practically held her captive in the castle for the next few days at the suggestion of the healers. He had even sent someone to check out of her lodgings at the inn while attendants waited on her as if she were an invalid. There was barely any chance for solitude let alone escape.

While in bed, she went over the grim details of Wingul's side-effects noted carefully in his journal. She wondered if he had intended for someone to read his words after death claimed him. If so, he was more morbid than she presumed.

A certain passage gave her pause.

"_My loyalty to my friend Gaius is unwavering. I must outthink Ilbert one last time if I am to pave the way for Erston and let him fly. He is most beautiful and most magnificent when he is undeterred. I will be his strength so he can move forward for Auj Oule. He will make my dream a reality. I wish I could stay with him to see it_."

She felt she was intruding somehow by reading his intimate thoughts. His blind devotion to a cause made him devoted to the man he believed would bring the results. Gaius had, after all, risen from nothing to take over an entire kingdom and managed to rule it were rivals and they were friends. Elize imagined a relationship between them that needed no words and yet nothing was left unspoken. She found herself a bit jealous of the closeness of that bond between two warriors who had fought side by side for a long time. She wondered if Gaius ever thought himself to be lonely now that the Chimeriad were gone.

Wingul's written words would remain as a memorial to a man who burned his life quickly and sacrificed everything that he was for his beliefs and his friend.

Having made up her own mind to not waste time, Elize snuck out and located the library to brush up on herb lore. No matter how attentive the servants and healers were Elize knew her symptoms were getting worse, just as predicted. She hoped she would still be in time to help the others.

As she was searching the pages of an ancient medical text in the archaic script of the tribal ancestors she heard the sound of determined footsteps behind her. She did not need to look up to know who it was. They had gone through this exchange at least once a day since her stay began.

Those boots took long strides across the breadth of the patterned library floor only to stop abruptly next to her. Elize looked up and saw the king staring down, arms crossed with an extremely displeased expression.

"They tell me that you will not stay in your room and rest," he frowned. Elize couldn't help but let out a little laugh at his perturbed reaction to someone who willingly disobeyed him.

"This is no laughing matter. If you become worse Rowen will never let me hear the end of it. As king of all subjects of Auj Oule, I command you to return to your room."

Standing up straight from her comfortable lounge chair, Elize craned her neck upward to look at his face, unflinching. "I am no longer a registered citizen of Auj Oule. I am a member of House Sharil in Rashugal. I do not think you have any sway over me as the defunct king of Auj Oule." Elize put her hands on her hips and smirked at him defiantly.

"So you are only a citizen of Auj Oule when you want me to do you favors but you are no longer my citizen when I give you orders?" he asked incredulously.

She grinned.

"How vexing," he concluded, admitting defeat and standing down. "I suppose Rowen has taught you all his annoying traits of verbal sparring."

She beamed. "That is a compliment."

"Vexing, indeed," he sighed. "Then as king of all Rieze Maxia and her subjects, I order you back to your room," he said with a smug sense of satisfaction.

His brows furrowed again when he saw she was still in her nightdress wrapped only in a shawl.

"Why are you parading about the castle with nothing on?" he demanded. "You will certainly make yourself worse and it is unseemly to run around in a shift." Gaius took off his cape and securely wrapped it around her for good measure. Elise blinked in silence and found him rather old fashioned in a strangely endearing way.

"Come," he commanded once again and he headed for the same side passage she had used to keep away from any onlookers, and expected her to follow.

Since he was so much taller, the cape pooled at her feet, making it difficult to walk. In exasperation Gaius went back to her side, picked her up and carried her in his arms as if she weighed nothing, walking briskly back to her room.

Too shocked to comment on the sudden proximity of his face Elize could only quietly look forward.

Becoming more and more discomfited by the feel of her soft form against his body with each step, Gaius hurried to her room and gently set her back down in it.

The sudden change in position made her accidentally drop the book she was holding.

"If you need books I will have them brought to you," he said, picking it up and facing the window but not looking at her directly for some reason. "You can read this?" he asked incredulously as he casually flipped through the dusty tome.

"At Talim I learned the ancient script so I could read the older medical texts from Auj Oule."

"Impressive." He looked down at the open page showing a delicate pink flower with a voluminous bloom.

"The _princessia_," he mused. "It is an herb of superior medical value and extremely rare in Kanbalar."

"It grows in the Silent Cave," said Elize softly.

"Does it? I had no idea," he answered honestly.

"The flower is difficult to find but there are many things you can notice if you would only take the time to look."

"You positively sound like Rowen when you say things like that," he smirked.

She laughed, "I suppose I do. But I had previously overlooked the princessia as a possible remedy for upper respiratory symptoms. The extract, in the right quantities, would probably be of use to me."

"I will direct the Minister of Healing to assist you and allow you access to the royal supplies."

"You are a very generous sponsor," she smiled. "Thank you."

He put the book down and walked over to her. Reaching out his hand to touch her forehead he noted that her fever was gone. His hand slipped down to her cheek before falling away. He turned to leave and called out behind him, "Back to work I go. Try to stay in bed for at least five minutes." She smiled wryly at his teasing manner and watched his back disappear through a doorway.

Not long after he departed another rap on the door revealed the messenger who had located Belburu. He returned with a list of people the old man could remember having been freed from the Labari Institute. There were nine total, and next to their names was written their last known location. The first was in Kanbalar, coincidentally.

Elize hurried to her closet to change.

-000-

She snuck past the guards in the hall and out the gates in search of the first name; Edgar, whom she vaguely recalled as a dark haired, pale boy with a marble always in his hand.

Asking around for the general direction she was led down an alley that opened up to a back lot house in a small corner. The house seemed deserted as the windows were shuttered and there was no signs of water jugs or laundry or any other indicators of everyday life. Going back the way she came she happened upon an old man. Asking if he knew Edgar, who would have been a child when he lived in this neighborhood, the old man answered that a childless family had adopted a sickly boy who loved marbles in that house. He had heard the boy passed away years ago and the family was long gone.

Elize meandered back slowly the way she came. Her heart beat with a dull ache and she sighed, looking upwards towards the midday sky. They had all been orphans, children whom no one would miss. That fact made their slavery at Labari even more pitiful. Some would not have even remembered what it was like to have a family.

Perhaps Edgar was happy before the end, and she prayed silently for it to be true before referring back to the list.

There was another resident of Kanbalar. Deliah, a girl from Rashugal, whom Elize remembered had red hair and long lashes. If she had grown up, Elize was sure she would be stunning.

She walked back into the main square and into the inn. Taking some refreshment and her midday meal, Elize asked the local tavern keep about Deliah, since red-haired people were rare and extremely noticeable in the capital. A nearby porter had overheard their conversation and interrupted. He introduced himself as Lohwan.

"My fiancee fits that description," he said. "Del works at the potions shop but she's not there right now. She's been sick lately and we're wondering if we should move to a warmer climate to help her recover."

Convincing him that she was an old friend, Elize convinced Lohwan to their flat. As she walked into the apartment she heard the sound of coughing and a raspy voice asking for him. He carefully helped Deliah sit up and Elize was taken aback at how sickly and wan a once pretty face had become. Elize waited in the doorway until she was noticed.

Deliah's brows furrowed thoughtfully. "Who might this be?"

"Her name is Elize. She says she knows you from when you lived together as orphans."

The red headed young woman's eyes went wide. She looked at Elize again and smiled in recognition.

"Hello, _Elly_."

"I hope you don't mind but I came to see how you were," she said shyly.

Deliah let out a little self-deprecating laugh. "As you see; I'm an invalid at the ripe old age of twenty-four." Elize went over to sit down on the chair beside her and held her hands. She asked Lohwan if he could make some honey tea for Deliah and he went off to the kitchen to comply.

"You're so warm," Deliah smiled. "Fate has been kind to you."

"Teepo and I… we found some really great people who did some amazing things…. We destroyed the Schism and saved the world."

"Wow. You did all that?"

"I did. I wanted to be useful so that…our suffering was not for nothing. Teepo was really strong. All that research had made him so strong."

"Then it was not for nothing," Deliah nodded.

As Deliah went over her symptoms and what experiments she could recall Elize took copious notes. Her pen paused when Deliah described an implant surgery that all inmates had to undergo when they first arrived.

"Implants? We had implants?"

Deliah shuddered. "I remember I was awake when they put it in. Here," she pointed at the base of her neck. "Later, Nihl's recommended the kids be knocked out beforehand. You came a few years after so maybe they sedated you. You were also really young."

"I don't remember that part," said Elize, wondering if moments had been too traumatic for her young mind to recall everything exactly. She felt the back of her neck and true enough a small, hard metal object was there, under her skin.

"I remember them calling you Spooky Girl, or Child of Darkness since things used to float around you and you only spoke through Teepo. I remember you mostly stared at us with your big, round, soulful eyes."

Elize smirked in spite of herself. "Conversation was not my forte. You were one of the only ones kind enough to talk to me."

"I had a feeling you were a sweet kid," smiled Deliah.

"Maybe you should undergo some scans at Fennmont or Trigleph to see if the implant is interfering somehow," Elize thought aloud.

"We don't have gald for that," she responded, shaking her head.

"King Gaius is my research sponsor," smiled Elize. "He's willing to assist any citizen of Rieze Maxia who was at Labari. I can ask his Ministry of Healing to accommodate."

She nodded in hopeful acquiescence. "I guess I'm lucky you have powerful friends then, Elly," Delia laughed, for the first time in a long while.

-000-

Elize set off in the direction of the Silent Caves as the sun was setting, content she had found at least one of her kindred.

Using her powers to vanquish the small nuisances in her way, Elize made it to the crawl space she knew so well inside the icy cavern. In the clearing, to her relief, her garden was still there, growing more abundantly across the field than she remembered. Though the house was gone, the echoes of her childhood still seemed to reverberate against the cavern walls.

Plucking a handful of princessia flowers she held them close to her heart and said a silent prayer. Elize never had desire for vengeance but the pain only dulled over the years, not disappearing.

A sudden fit of coughing overtook her and she used the king's handkerchief to cover her mouth. Again, the scent of lavender filled her mind and calmed her. Elize looked down and frowned at the new blood stain.

Fate was cruel to her after all.

Her body suddenly swayed and she lost balance, collapsing amid the flowers.

_I'm not ready to die yet…but perhaps just a little rest…Mama…Papa…._ Her mind grew hazy as she found it difficult to breathe.

Elize thought she heard concerned voices calling her name, beckoning her back to her senses. A soft hand cradled her head and a pair of strong arms lifted her off the ground. Rowen's voice hovered over her.

"I am...home," she whispered weakly before it all went dark.


	5. Lavender scented sentiments

**Chapter 5: Lavender scented sentiments**

"_Elize_," said Teepo's concerned voice. "_You gotta wake up, otherwise you might never do it again. C'mon now, wake up!_"

Her eyes fluttered open and for a moment Elize had no recollection of where she was. Lungs constricted, a wave of coughing started to wrack her body as she sat up. A clean handkerchief found its way to her face and she grasped it tightly as she forced her lungs to work. The scent of lavender calmed her to the point she was no longer seeing spots.

She turned to see the king sitting next to her bed. In his hand was her notebook, his expression inscrutable. Elize wondered how long he had been watching over her.

"Why did you conceal your illness from me?" he asked, his eyes more somber than the tone of his voice.

"Would you have reported to Rowen and locked me up in my room so I would stay put?" she challenged.

"I may have," he admitted sternly. His eyes bore all the authority of his crown and his jaw was set in his displeasure.

"And you wonder why I told no one?" she retorted defiantly, her eyes reflecting dark green in the candlelight. "I refuse to be rescued as if I were still the child relying on everyone else's kindness. This cannot be undone anyhow." She looked at him with a hint of desperation. "I _need _to finish this and you promised to help me," she added.

"So I did," he said, letting out a slow, steady breath to calm himself. "The woman you sent from the city is resting in the Ministry of Healing. The healers are doing all they can to prolong her time. I…read your notes. I had no idea.…"

She looked away. He had seen everything regarding Labari that she never spoke of to anyone. Until Nihls joined the research team, life at Labari had been miserable. From the testing, needles, cold floor, cages, shock treatments, implants and the horrible food, she had written everything that Wingul and Deliah and her own memory could recall to decipher any patterns that might help her unravel the mystery of her own illness.

Elize sat back against the abundant pillows on her bed and looked over to the window sill where someone had watered the princessia flowers in a delicate porcelain vase.

"Rowen told me about the flowers in the Silent Caves." His eyes bore a deep expression; concern and compassion mixed with sadness as his hand reached out to touch her face.

"I cannot abide human suffering...but I also had different goals then. I knew the research was being done by the Tribes. When I took over the Tribes I did not stop the research. I thought I needed it to make Auj Oule stronger." His voice lowered in solemn remorse. "I ask your forgiveness. I had just come into power and I did not know any of the particulars nor did I care to," he said regretfully, "and so I did not come to your aid."

She took his large, calloused hand in hers and held it gently. "If you had known nothing would have changed since the research would have been done with or without you and we were strangers. I survived and I chose to walk my own path. I still am."

He offered a empathetic look. "I too suffered much when I was young. Inept rulers drove my people, good men, to their deaths because of archaic traditions and stubborn pride. I held onto nothing but anger and used it as my blade. It is a miracle neither of us gave in to despair. That you act with such grace for the sake of others is laudable."

Elize looked down shyly at his words.

Rowen stood at the door and cleared his throat. He eyed the pair with great scrutiny. Immediately, Gaius pulled his hand away from hers and stood up so that Rowen could replace him. Rowen's grumpy expression reserved for the king turned grandfatherly and soft again for Elize.

"I am so glad you are awake, my dear Elize. My old heart had quite the scare." He sat on the bed and she hugged him tightly.

"Sorry, Rowen," she said almost tearfully. "I kept this from you."

"Oh now, now," said the old man, patting her back. "I could never be upset at you, Elize."

"I on the other hand received quite the tongue lashing," muttered the king.

"Well deserved," the old gentleman snapped back.

"I had no idea she was so capricious," the Gaius insisted. "Next time I will be better prepared and lock her in the tower." He shot a disapproving glance in her direction again and Elize did her best not to laugh. She stuck up her chin defiantly and smiled, "Do your worst."

After Rowen reprimanded her for being so careless with her health, both men bade her goodnight and snuffed out the candles as they left.

The king entered his bedchamber and went to his work desk where many documents had been piled on by his staff. Each one required a seal and his signature and it seemed it would be another long night.

Yet Rowen's parting words seemed to reverberate in his head. "_She has many suitors in Sharilton. I hope to live to see her happily wed and that this illness will be nothing but afterthought in her years to come._"

It bothered him. For once, there was nothing he could do. For all the power he had as king and yet to be unable to help a frail young lady was unnerving.

There was also this unsettling feeling in his chest when he was near her. It was not quite pain, as when someone had struck him in the chest during battle; and it was not quite fear since he feared nothing. She was a mere child when he first met her but what irked him most was that he did not see her as a child anymore. "I am being nonsensical. She is still young," he insisted to himself in the empty room where his private thoughts aired themselves out.

Gaius shook any other stray thoughts of her out of his head. Above all he was a man of self control. He had crossed paths with beautiful women before and every time he felt nothing. It should not be any different now. He had never needed a companion and this was hardly the time to change. A king was busy enough as is and there was no need to divert himself with lofty gifts like love and affection.

_These are not things I deserve...not after everything __I have __done..._

He poured himself a glass of wine. Strolling out onto his balcony he took in a deep breath of cold, fresh, night air. It was invigorating. Just as he was turning back towards his desk, the light of a candle caught his eye in the courtyard below. A cloaked figure walked back around towards the Ministry of Healing, wisps of golden hair catching the light.

"Can she not stay still for just one moment?" he cursed under his breath and followed after her.

"What in the name of the Four is going on here?" the king demanded as he stood in the doorway of the Ministry of Healing. Elize immediately went up to him and put her finger to his lips and told him sternly to keep his voice down. He was taken aback by her sudden command of the situation and she turned around and ignored him as she and the herbalist prepared medicinal paraphernalia on a nearby table. The herbalist then bowed left them alone.

"If you intend to stay, pluck the petals from this princessia and pinch off the stem." She handed him a mortar and pestle. "Grind the remainder into here."

He sighed in exasperation but did as he was told.

"You dare give me orders?" asked the king.

"Sulking is unbecoming, Your Majesty. When I look at you now I just see you as Erston. Erston can make himself useful," she smirked.

"Oh really?" he asked dryly.

She sighed. "Sleep eluded me," she confessed. "I thought I would try to make a new formula for Deliah."

"Medicine of your own making?" he asked incredulously.

She nodded. "I studied the herb lore of Auj Oule for two years at Talim as a post graduate course through the Academy," she said as she measured a thin, white powder onto a measuring spoon and put it into a vial of water that was just about to boil. "That was before I became Drisell's secretary. My medicines are currently sold on the market, with Alvin's help."

"So you help govern the people of Sharilton, you create medicine and you are trying to save the lives of the Labari research subjects," he said, brow raised. "It seems you are quite busy."

Elize answered thoughtfully, "You and Rowen, Jude, Leia, Milla, and Ludger - everyone is doing their best to change the world for the better. I would be remiss of my responsibility if I let everyone else do the work. I wish to create a better world as well."

"Oh?"

"A world to right past wrongs. Perhaps I can bring them peace, and perhaps...," her voice trailed off, "I can obtain it for myself."

His hands went still as he observed her expression. A strange tightness in his chest urged him to console her.

"May joys from afar beget joys close to the hearth..." the king recited. "The old man's favorite quote."

"Exactly," she smiled and the hollow expression passed.

He noticed a bundle of flowers on the table. "Lavender?" asked Erston.

"The scent is pleasing." She lifted a sprig to her nose and inhaled gently. "It lingers on you."

He was a bit surprised at her words but more surprised that his face grew flush.

"It was…my mother's favorite. Karla told my laundress to press my handkerchiefs with lavender for some insidious reason of her own no doubt."

Elize giggled. "Lavender means 'love and devotion' in the language of flowers. Your mother must have been a wonderful woman. Your sister seems very kind."

"True on both counts," he smiled wistfully.

"Family is precious," she said without expression as she measured a greenish liquid and continued to work. The king watched her with fascination. Her hands were delicate and precise.

Eventually her fatigue finally caught up with her and she placed a forehead in one hand.

"You have pushed yourself too far," he said conclusively. "Come." She could not argue with him this time.

As they walked back toward the royal apartments she faltered a little and clung to him for support.

"You should not work yourself to the bone," he chided and picked her up effortlessly off the ground. The novelty of being subject to his 'princess hold' had worn off and she continued to provoke him.

"The pot is calling the kettle black. Do you still sleep only a half hour each night?" she retorted.

"Well, yes," he answered stubbornly. "There are many things that need to be done."

"Not enough," she chastised, shaking her head in disapproval.

"Impossible. I cannot warp time like Chronos."

"You can be more efficient," she reasoned. "Delegate the work. That's why you pay your staff."

"Impertinent," he responded in a huff. She let out a little laugh and wrapped her arms around his neck to secure her position. Gaius' grip around her waist involuntarily tightened and his body went rigid when the feel of her breath on his neck overloaded his senses beyond logic.

"Even your shirts smells like lavender," she said sleepily, inhaling a lungful of it.

"Elize," he said, straining.

"What's wrong? Am I too heavy?"

Without a word he put her down and pressed her gently against her chamber door.

"Erst-?!" she said before letting out a little gasp as he rested his forearm against the door and moved in closer until their faces were nearly touching, inadvertently inhaling the faint scent of princessia flowers.

He said something she could not quite hear as her blood was ringing loudly in her ears from the closeness of the moment.

It seemed he was berating her for something and she automatically breathed an apology as she looked into his serious, dark brown eyes tinted red and gold in the torchlight - eyes that both reprimanded and pleaded with her. Elize thought her heart would beat out of her chest, embarrassed at both the exchange and that he might hear it.

Everything about him and their current position gave her thoughts she would define as forbidden, or what Teepo would call "_adult_."

Life had taught her that youth did not deter things like friendship and love, nor did it suppress courage. If she was dying, and this would be the only opportunity to experience something she had wanted to try for a long time but could never find the right timing.… If he was willing.… Elize ignored the possibility that perhaps he was not.

She rued the folly of her youth. Without even thinking if he would be angry, in that moment she made a decision she knew would later trouble them both.


	6. Duty, blood and family

**Chapter 6: Duty, blood and family**

Had Elize been a less sensible lady her despair would have shown across her face, reflecting her internal exchanges of alternating self-doubt and exhilaration about her first kiss. Since that night, her sense eventually took over and the inappropriate and imprudent choice of partner weighed like lead in her chest. But her poker face was taught by a master, none other than Alvin Vint Svent while actually playing the game with him, and her calm facade spread over her like a blanket as she took her tea with Rowen with a serene smile.

Thankfully Gaius was nowhere in sight and so there were no reminders of his shocked expression, or the feeling of him leaning in, followed by a grumbling utterance that almost sounded like a curse accompanied by the sound of shuffling feet and strong arms in the dark that pushed her into her chamber and closed the door between them without another word exchanged since.

"I am told you have found a survivor. Is this enough for your research?" asked Rowen calmly, though his eyes showed deep concern.

"I've sent what data I could gather to Jude and Talim Medical School has been tasked to refine the medication I've designed. The good news is that I get some of the profit from the sales. The bad new is it might not be enough to find a cure."

"I see more of Alvin's influence has rubbed off than previously thought," smiled her mentor. "But you're certain you can return to work?"

She folded the lavender scented handkerchief neatly in her lap. "I can only wait and believe that things will get better. In the meantime, I won't dwell on it. As Gaius always says, we must move onward."

Rowen wondered what she was hiding behind her demure smile as she sipped her tea but since she was looking much better, he too wanted to believe she would be cured. Otherwise, nothing was amiss.

Nothing but the king of course, who did not show himself except in the Audience Hall and at staff meetings. Gaius' expression was noticeably strained, as if he was concealing something from his prime minister and he was purposefully avoiding Elize.

_Perhaps I am over thinking it,_ Rowen thought to himself.

She slid a formally sealed scrolled parchment across the table. "I've written a proposition that the area in the Silent Caves be preserved for _p__rincessia_ cultivation. It's a valuable asset to Auj Oule that should be protected."

"You can't simply ask him yourself?" Rowen asked nonchalantly.

"He's the king, Rowen," she said meaningfully. "I shouldn't pester him so much."

She had apologized over and over to him in her head.

The entourage from Sharilton arrived shortly thereafter and Elize was already miles away when the king finally retired to his chambers again, rolling his fatigue off his shoulders and taking a glass of wine to his favorite chair.

His sigh was more like a low growl and he drank the remainder of the wine in one toss. Though he was doing his best to try not to think of what transpired between them he had been failing miserably at the task. Now that she had long since departed the cold climate of Kanbalar for the warmer atmosphere of Rashugal, he wondered if he would finally have peace. The king was patiently waiting for the time when he would no longer feel guilty in Rowen's presence or ruminate on how the lady had stolen...what exactly had she stolen?

Nothing he would admit to anyone out loud.

Without any ability to shake the feeling, he distinctly felt that something was now missing. With a grunt of self loathing he thought perhaps this is what they meant when they called someone a "late bloomer."

"I am too old for this," he lamented as he sank deeper into his chair and closed his eyes to sleep.

-000-

As Elize traveled to Sharilton more often than not her thoughts traveled back to Gaius. She could not shake the feeling that she found him considerably changed. His demeanor drew her in. The persona of "Gaius" stepped aside for Erston to resurface, even if unintentionally. Now, he was kinder and more eager to empathize and make human connections, or perhaps, Elize supposed, he was always this way underneath that cold exterior.

Elize on the other hand had grown more thoughtful and serious, more so now with her illness. Yet underneath she could feel another her emerging in his presence where formalities were dropped, smiles were shared and the connections between them more distinct than she previously realized.

She felt something akin to yearning, for something, but for what exactly Elize couldn't be certain. This uncharted territory, a desire to share something with one person who was special beyond measure, was a novel and frightening feeling. Elize had never felt it until now.

She groaned inwardly at her own impudence yet her hand involuntarily touched her lips where that tenderness lingered, like the scent of lavender. The feeling was real. Elize held onto it like something precious and decided she did not regret it.

As soon as she crossed the threshold of Sharil Manor and shed her cloak, her undersecretary started talking nonstop about the day's schedule. A letter had arrived from House Travis that no representative would be coming to the Summit. Ever since their illegitimate daughter, Agria, had burned down the manor and conspired to have her half brothers killed, that House had been upended. These were the political nuances Elize had to navigate for Driselle and there was still more to do. She sighed and rolled up her sleeves.

-000-

When the first day of the Science Summit came, Elize made sure everything was in place. She was determined to make the week succeed for Driselle's sake. As her sister turned on the charm of the Sharils with elite guests in the parlor, Elize moved quietly in the background, answering questions and maintaining the schedule.

Her undersecretary greeted the guests as they entered and the servants ushered people to the Hall, where Jude's noon symposium would soon take place. Elize was frantically looking for him since she could hardly send him up on the podium looking like a disheveled scientist, though, in truth, he really was.

When the prime minister and the king entered the manor they could feel the energy in the air. It was a bustling atmosphere with nobles, reporters and servants chatting and moving, hobnobbing and discussing everything from the lunch menu, the latest fashions, to business and politics. It was exactly what Lady Driselle had intended to happen between the two nations when she proposed the Science Summit to the king.

Chancellor Marcia approached them first. "My, Your Highness, Rowen, you are both looking dapper today. I must say this is quite the gathering. I congratulated Lady Driselle on its success but I daresay much of it has to do with my dear friend, Elize," she smiled proudly.

"I agree wholeheartedly. Might I interest you both in some refreshment?" asked Rowen.

"Are you regressing to your inner butler?" asked Gaius dryly, eyebrow raised.

"I can't help it. I served House Sharil for many years. Coming here is like coming home," the old man chuckled. "I've an urge to start polishing the silver."

"Then allow me to assist you," smiled the Chancellor. "I'm quite handy in the kitchen. But I don't think we have time to polish the silver."

The king didn't bother interrupting the two when they got into a mood and sat himself down in a fluffy sofa in the empty sitting room. Closing his eyes he told himself to relax. He hated crowds really, but things like this were a necessity as king. The lack of sleep seemed to be catching up with him; he heard her voice in his head chiding him for it.

"Elize! There you are," said a cheerful, familiar voice. The king's eyes flew open and he remained still behind the high backed sofa. It was unbecoming to hide behind furniture but he was at a loss as to an alternative.

Elize apologized. "I know I promised to talk to you before everything began but I was hunting for a comb. Jude's hair is a bird's nest."

Leia giggled at the thought. "I just wanted to thank you for trusting me with the material you sent."

"I think you're the perfect choice to write the article on Labari, Leia," smiled Elize. She quoted from the draft, "'Human curiosity is limitless but there is a fine line between science and morality we must not forget. With technology on the rise the importance of past blunders should never be forgotten.' It's just like something Milla would say."

"That's nothing. On top of everything else you're doing, you still have time to think of others. I'm so proud of you!" said Leia passionately, squeezing her friend tight. "How are you feeling by the way?" she asked with genuine concern. Before Elize could answer a commotion at the front door interrupted them.

A commanding voice ordered a servant to fetch him a glass of water at that moment and Elize and Leia turned to see an older, portly gentleman standing in the doorway. Her undersecretary acted courteously and ushered his group into the study suggesting refreshment before joining the symposium.

"That's a pleasant fellow," said Leia sarcastically. "I don't envy you having to navigate your way through the nobility and their egos."

"That's the Baron of the Chevalle family. For the record, he is _always_ that unpleasant. They've been trying to raise their status since House Travis lost influence."

"I've heard of him. His family made a fortune doing business but they aren't really noble stock," shrugged Leia.

"Sadly, he's also my maternal grandfather," sighed Elize.

"What?!" exclaimed Leia, but Elize pressed a hand to her friend's mouth.

"He does business with House Sharil. I accidentally found out when I investigated his background. Apparently he had wanted my mother to marry into one of the Six Houses but she disobeyed and was disowned. We're connected by blood but he's no longer my family."

"My, do I smell another scoop? A tale of heroism, romance and intrigue?"

As her friend's eyes started to glimmer, Elize shook her head and laughed as she flicked Leia's forehead affectionately.

"You're a dangerous friend to keep," she smiled. "I don't care about bloodlines. I'm lucky to have you and Jude and everyone else as my new family," she shrugged.

"Awww, shucks," blushed Leia, wrapping the younger woman in a bear hug that Elize had pry and peel herself out of.

Thinking she was alone again, Elize checked her reflection in the mirror. Make-up was hiding the circles under her eyes and her gaunt completion. She pulled a pill box from her pocket and took her medication. "Just survive this week," she encouraged herself in the mirror with a fist of determination. "Then you can sleep as much as you want. You can do this." Just as she was about to go into the main hall, her vision blurred and she stumbled forward. But for a pair of sturdy arms holding her up, her face would have collided with the floor in a very unflattering manner.


	7. Child of darkness

**Chapter 7: Child of Darkness**

Elize looked up at stared wide-eyed at the familiar face sporting scraggly, unshaven stubble. The face belonged to none other than her friend Alvin, and she wondered how he had possibly manifested out of thin air.

"Whoa there, princess," he said with his infectious, signature smile that bordered on being a smirk.

"Alvin," she said with an embarrassed laugh. She used him as leverage to push herself upright and examined his attire critically. "How did you manage to get in _here_ looking like _that_?" He was covered in dust with quite a few tears in his jacket that made him look like a vagabond. Her friend merely shrugged in response.

"I came through the Culmar Trail. Needless to say things got a little hairy when I passed the Arrow Folzam." He chuckled weakly.

"I thought we defeated it with Ludger and the others?" she asked incredulously.

"Apparently someone thought it would be really funny to bring it back to life and make it _stronger_," Alvin sighed. "If I ever find out who did it I promise that person is in for a world of hurt."

"Well you can't go to Jude's lecture looking worse for wear," she concluded. She waved an attendant over to get some rough measurements and see if there was a change of clothes somewhere, a vacant guest room and a wash basin for her friend to clean up.

"Well, look at _you_. All grown up and taking care of _me_ for a change."

"When did _you_ ever take care of _me_?" she scoffed with arms crossed.

"Well, there was that time in Leronde that you woke up from a bad dream and needed a hug. There was also that time in Nia Khera where you almost fell into the waterfall. There was also the time in Kanbalar when we were infiltrating Castle Gaius and you almost fell off the roof. Also-"

She abruptly held up a palm to silence him. "All right! I get it."

"Haha, no need to be shy, Elize. We're friends aren't we?" He looked around and frowned. "Speaking of which, where's my little buddy? I half expected him to chomp on my head by now."

"Oh," Elize smiled wistfully. "Teepo hasn't been on for a while, actually. I really am too old to carry him around."

Her friend looked at her suspiciously, and perhaps only half believed her, but let the subject drop.

After he cleaned up, he returned to the entrance hall where she was waiting but a servant stopped them before they could head inside, whispering a message to her.

"Something important?" asked Alvin. Her distress must have been apparent since her friend asked if she was all right.

She nodded absently and went back to towards the Hall. "I need to introduce Jude." The attendants opened the door and Elize put her best political face forward while acknowledging the familiar faces from both Rieze Maxia and Elympios before going on stage to convey the speech she had already committed to memory. Post applause, she yielded the podium to Jude.

Jude's lopsided smile, the same one that used to make her heart flutter, was still charming. Ever since she had met him she had held June in the highest esteem as friend and hero. Quiet and unassuming, Jude was not known for his battle prowess, though he was an able fighter. He was known for his compassion and eagerness to extend friendship to those he deemed worthy, and sympathy to those who may not deserve it. He was her reason for studying at Talim though her feelings eventually segued into her own personal quest to study medicine and pharmacology to help others.

Besides, Jude's heart would forever belong to Milla, even if they never met again. Elize easily accepted that reality a long time ago. Milla, whom Elize considered a dear friend, was always present even if her spirit no longer dwelled in the physical realm. In times of frustration Jude looked upward to the sky and mouthed a silent wish to the one he loved, as Elize sometimes saw him do.

With one last look of admiration, despite his cowlicks, she left the hall.

She went back to the library to consult her medical texts on the symptoms conveyed in the message. High fever, vomiting and convulsing were among the chief concerns. This individual would not be able to take the regular doses of medication at this stage. Elize kept flipping pages for various remedies. Entries on herbs, everblooms, mushroom powder, supple ivy, various tree barks crossed her field of vision until she stopped at the page she was looking for.

The venom of the Arrow Folzam, if filtered and diluted, was a useful sedative that could preserve a patient in stasis for days, slowing any disease process to allow doctors to administer other medication intravenously. It was a dangerous drug and offered only to the grievously ill.

A servant came to alert her that her things were ready and as the servant opened the door for her, Alvin's voice gave her pause.

"Where might you be escaping to, princess?" he asked, leaning against a pillar.

"Hardly an escape," Elize scoffed. "More like an errand. There's something I need to do."

"Aren't you in the middle of the Symposium you've spent months planning and preparing for?"

"Someone's life is in danger," said Elize with finality. "You can come along, or you can get out of my way."

He shrugged. "Your new attitude is a little thrilling but it also reminds me of a certain monarch. I heard you had spent some time in Kanbalar. I hope his brand of grumpy didn't rub off on you."

She scowled but did not dignify a response. Yet the memory of her last moment with the king did put a flush into her face.

"Whoa, whoa," said Alvin, strutting up next to her as she left for the courtyard. "What was _that_?"

"Nothing," she grumbled, wondering why she wasn't able better control her expressions in front of her friends.

The two then proceeded to travel most of the Culmar Trail with Alvin nagging her to tell him what happened with Gaius in Kanbalar but Elize remaining tight-lipped. Her friend then went about insinuating all sorts of situations that started putting weird visuals in her mind.

"So you accidentally sent him a love text on your GHS meant for someone else? Or maybe you tripped over your own feet and somehow pulled off the royal cape? Or fell into the royal lap? Perhaps you accidentally took a wrong turn while he was in the bath and-"

"Stop!" Elize cried out at last and turned a vicious glare on her friend. "Enough! None of that happened!"

"Are you sad it didn't happen?" her friend asked wryly.

Elize rolled her eyes.

"We're here," she declared and gestured towards the low walkway leading to a clearing off the path.

"We're where?" asked Alvin, scratching his head. But then he heard a familiar, fear inspiring buzzing in the distance and his eyes were suddenly tense and every muscle alert. "You're joking."

Elize shrugged. "You didn't have to come."

"Like hell I'd let you fight that thing alone!" he reprimanded her. "What are you thinking?"

"Someone needs the venom to live. You've sold my medicines on the market for me. You know they work. This person…I knew him from Labari. I want to help him. I have to try." Her resolve was firm.

"Look, princess, if you're feeling guilty about those lab rats just because you're the lucky one who got the best out of that godforsaken research, don't. You're not the one who caused all that misery. Trust me, I was there, remember?"

While doing Exodus' bidding, it was the havoc Alvin had caused that eventually led to the lab's closure. Indirectly, she had him to thank for that.

She nodded in acquiescence. "I still need to do this for myself. Thank you for the help, but now we need a plan. Perhaps you can be the decoy so I can cast my artes_?"_

"Sure," he chuckled. "Make the guy who has the least artes ability run around as a moving target. But, don't you need Teepo?"

"I'm still strong without him," Elize said confidently. "My spells are still rooted in the same patterns, though I'm more comfortable having my incantations take Teepo's form. But no, I haven't actually used him for a while."

"I guess you've finally grown up," smiled Alvin approvingly. "But just the two of us isn't nearly enough-" began Alvin when a sudden rustling from the bushes nearby made him pause.

"Then we shall make do with three," said the king, stepping out from the shadows. Alvin and Elize both pointed the weapons they had drawn away from Gaius. Alvin gave a little sarcastic bow.

"To what do we owe the pleasure, Your Highness?"

"Please, out here I'm just Erston, remember?"

"Erston should still be at Sharilton Manor or else the old man is going to have a fit," grinned Alvin.

"Aren't they going to notice you're not there?" asked Elize, wondering if her sister was actually having a fit at that moment as her most honored guest and event coordinator were both missing.

He observed her carefully, his brows knitted. "I would say the same for you. Since seeing you again in Kanbalar I've noticed your tendency to wander precariously into danger. As your sponsor I suppose it is my duty to keep you safe."

She set aside her personal feelings to address the issue at hand. "I would be thankful for your assistance."

"And I would not miss an opportunity to swing _Amaterasu_ at a worthy opponent."

Instead of making her uncomfortable or nervous his presence calmed her and the effect was surprisingly immediate. Some of it also had to do with the fact he was a _very_ capable artes user, though he was definitely a sword nut.

"I just need a bit of venom. I doubt it'll give it to me if I asked nicely," she sighed.

"We will have to dispose of it," Gaius concluded. "It would be better for the people traveling the Culmar Trail as well."

"Always the thoughtful ruler," smiled Alvin. "If we live through this, remind me to buy you a drink."

"Noted," said Gaius. Though barely visible Elize could see the small hint of a smile touch the corner of his lips.

Alvin positioned forward with Gaius and Elize followed not far behind. After getting the monster's attention with a few bullets to its armored head, Alvin was soon the target of the Arrow Folzam's rage. Gaius blocked a rain of poisonous darts it showered at Alvin with his brilliant long sword technique. Elize first cast a powerful charm on her companions to dispel any negative effects from the creature and then followed up with a healing spell to keep them alive. She continued to provide support as Alvin distracted it with one rapid fire attack after another while Gaius relentlessly hacked away at its armored body attempting to sever any vulnerable joint.

While fighting, Elize thought of nothing else until a sudden shout alerted her that Alvin's weapon had been knocked out of his hand and Gaius had taken a blow that laid him low on the ground. Elize immediately jumped to the forefront and dug deep into her reserves to cast her signature mystic arte, the Scary Go Round. She could feel the darkness welling up in her and she released it in a glowing pink spiral around her enemy only to explode amid a dark cyclone that shredded anything within its cloudy mass.

The move heavily damaged and temporarily stunned the monster but just as its attention turned towards her, Gaius wordlessly whisked her safely away to one side.

"Refrain from casting major spells," he cautioned for the sake of her health before he and Alvin continued their front line assault combination of shooting, hacking and slashing in a rhythmic pattern.

When it was finally over, with both her protectors winded and breathing heavily, Elize gathered a few small vials of venom. When they caught their breath to ask, she told them about Peter, the one her agent had found in town.

"You should go back," she turned to Gaius. "The others will be missing you."

"Is there anything else you would have me do?" he asked quietly. She shook her head gently.

"Elize," he said with a suddenly solemn expression. "There is something I would like to ask. Later, perhaps." She turned away to hide her blush. Elize nodded once and listened as his footsteps faded away.

-000-

She and Alvin then headed towards the merchant quarter where Peter lived, though his health prevented him from working any longer. She sent the agent back to the Manor to request a means of transporting the patient to the hospital and immediately went to work.

"Soooo…," said Alvin as he set the pot on top of the stove and Elize lit the oven. "Did something happen between you? Did the king take advantage of our poor, innocent Elize? Or did Elize take advantage of our poor, innocent king?"

She ignored his baiting and dropped the ingredients into the soon boiling water. But when she attended the bedside, Peter nearly knocked the concoction out of her hand.

"Who the hell are you? Whoever you are, I don't need that. I'm dying anyway," he choked out the words before Alvin helped him up to wretch into a bowl.

"I wasn't there to save Edgar but I'll do my best to save you, Peter."

"Edgar?" he asked and peered into her face more closely. Elize did not turn away from the stench of vomit and illness. He snorted a laugh, which caused him to cough again, and brought on more convulsions. She asked Alvin to hold him down so that she could sterilize a spot on his arm and safely inject the poison laced sedative.

"You're the Child of Darkness, aren't you? Heh, we used to call you Spooky Girl, too." She simply pushed the last air bubble out of the syringe.

"I don't need anything from you, Spooky Girl. Haven't you done enough? Don't you remember that the rest of us were just test subjects for your progress? You were hailed as the success of Labari only because our suffering went into the final booster design for your stupid little doll. Unless you're here to finish me off, I've no business with you."

"Hey," said Alvin sternly. "Elize was every bit a victim of Labari as everyone else. Think she wanted to be sold into slavery? She was just a kid."

"We were all just kids. But everything about her is dark and creepy. From the way she never spoke, to the way objects used to float around her like a poltergeist when she was angry. Then they gave her that hideous doll to complete the picture. They made her into the true monster at Labari. I've seen it with my own eyes - the darkness that creeps up to kill her opponents. Hence the nickname."

"Listen you -" started Alvin in her defense.

"It's true," said Elize, staying Alvin's argument. "They used to test me against monsters and other test subjects who could use artes. We didn't have to fight to the death but I did hurt them. I...must atone."

"I don't see you hacking up your lungs," glanced Peter bitterly at his bloody sleeve.

"We're _all_ dying," said Elize quietly. Alvin's eyes went wide. "I've been able to suppress the symptoms with medicine. I want to help you and for that I need to sedate you so your body can take the treatment. Will you let me try?"

Peter looked at her as her warm hazel gaze shared an understanding with his hollowed glare. "If it doesn't work out, at least we'll all go together," he relented.

She smiled at the irony. No matter how long it had been, no matter where they were, they were all still suffering together in their own special hell.

Peter was deathly still after the injection but alive. His face looked relieved as most of his tension left him under the heavy anesthetic. Afterward, she injected doses of antibiotic and fever medication, followed by her own elixir to stave off the upper respiratory symptoms and bleeding in his lungs for now.

Alvin's clouded expression remained silent as she worked. _Probably_ r_emembering some of his own struggles with his mom,_ she thought. But as she turned to meet the transport waiting for them outside, Alvin caught her sleeve.

"Is it true then, princess?" he asked quietly.

"Unlike you, I don't have the talent of lying to make others feel better," she replied.

"Harsh," laughed Alvin mirthlessly.

"Sorry," she apologized.

Deep inside, the inner darkness was returning and the respite she had from thoughts of her fate were coming back to her in full force. Death was staring her in the face now. They would all become like Peter. It weighed on her heavily.

His words made her strongly resent the darkness that was integrated into her, but Elize would need its strength now more than ever to finish her journey.

They silently returned to the manor, somber as a funeral cortege.


	8. Somber melody

**Chapter 8: Somber melody**

She nearly dropped the teacup when Jude uttered the words his father had written.

_Upon displaying symptoms of acute upper respiratory distress, the patient has an anticipated life span of approximately one to two years._

Immediately she regained her composure and quelled her fears by thinking of more imminent concerns. The Symposium would last until the final lecture of the day. She still needed to keep schedule, check the menu and give last-minute instructions to the cook for the elaborate feast ordered for tonight. Her head started spinning.

Jude noticed her shaking hands and gingerly took the cup and saucer and placed them safely back onto the tea table. After going over the data he concluded there was a direct correlation with failing organ function and the use of the booster transmitter implant present in all Labari subjects that was used to resonate with the booster frequency. It was bad enough that the first and second generation boosters had increased resonance output with the implant to make up for the design flaws, but now the implant itself was corroding leaving trace amounts of toxic metal in the blood. Stress on the heart from booster usage created additional damage to the arteries. Circulatory failure over time was inevitable to the lungs.

Elize had used her booster more extensively while outside the Labari Institute, and now the consequences were apparent.

"I have to find the others," she concluded.

"You're taking too much upon yourself, Elize," he said with concern.

She shook her head, "It's only right that I do."

Jude looked at the young lady before him and grit his teeth. She was still young by any standard, and she had already gone through so much. His heart ached to help her. "The implant is embedded into the nervous system so it will be complicated. After removal, the surrounding arteries need precision repair and then the lung tissue needs to be regenerated. This can be done with spirit artes but it would take hours and regeneration can only be done by healers of the highest caliber, and those are rare. They'd each have to be trained to do everything precisely and it could take days. One false step…"

"What about _spyrite_?" asked Elize tentatively.

"I could design a precision device that could recalibrate itself depending on the patient's situation," said Jude thoughtfully.

"I'm sorry to impose like this, Jude," she apologized.

"What are you saying?" he asked, slightly offended. He tousled her hair roughly as he would a little sister. "How long have you known me?"

"Since I was twelve," she replied with a smile.

"How many times have you seen me back down from a challenge?"

"Never," she responded in earnest.

"I'm going to ask Ludger if he can use his Spirius connections to build it for me. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to help," he smiled in encouragement. "Hang in there, Elize. I'll figure something out."

"Don't beat yourself up if it…doesn't work," she said, trying to smile.

"It's going to work," he said resolutely. She relented with a broadened grin at his resolve and hugged him fiercely.

-000-

By the time the guests had gone, ideas had been exchanged and promises and proposals had been offered so that everyone left Sharilton better informed and with a little bit of progress in their pocket. Everyone praised the event as a success, especially Rowen.

"I've heard from Alvin that you two ventured out with Gaius to the Culmar Trail and fought a resurrected monster. I would warn against those exploits and keep your health in mind," he admonished in his usual grand-fatherly way.

"I'm sorry Rowen, I didn't mean to worry you. I needed the venom."

"Yes, so I've heard. While I appreciate your generosity of heart I would advise against another such quest. Whatever possessed the king to go along, I do not know, but I am grateful he was there and that you all came back safely."

"Erst-I mean, Gaius has been very helpful since the beginning. He's my sponsor after all."

"The king can continue his sponsorship from afar. As you know he has many duties. It would be best if he had few distractions, my dear, especially at this crucial juncture with the first session of Parliament upon us."

"I understand," she nodded.

"Yet, I find it peculiar that he has taken a particular interest in you."

There was something behind Rowen's mischievous smile that made her feel like he was on to something. It was no wonder her mentor was such a talented politician. Elize was glad she was able to escape any additional scrutiny when Chancellor Marcia came to escort him to his carriage.

With the Manor finally quiet, Elize was at the mercy of her inner thoughts again and felt utterly drained. Restless from the quiet she went over to her sitting room and switched Teepo on. He blinked at her. Since it was really an extension of her own psyche she didn't have to explain anything.

"Oh, Elize," he said consolingly. Immediately she grabbed Teepo and hugged him close to her chest.

"I never meant for this to happen," her doll said forlornly.

"What am I going to do Teepo?" she gestured, her voice echoing against the stone walls of the manor. "I feel so lost in the dark."

"Elize, you can't fight this on your own. You need a hug. What about your friends? What about the grumpy guy?"

"Ugh," she groaned. "Don't start. Rowen said-"

"The geezer needs to shut it. Don't you feel better when Mr. Grump is with you?"

"I do," sighed Elize.

"And he tastes just like a Gaius dumpling!" Teepo exclaimed. "Dee-licious."

"I wouldn't know about that," she said in dismay.

"Trust me on this. He's uber strong and a VIP wherever he goes. Such a useful guy to have stick around. Not to mention he kind of stalks you, right? I think he _likes_ you," Teepo teased.

"That can't be true_."_

"I don't think he only had _friendship_ in mind when you kissed in the dark," winked her doll.

She held her face as it grew hot pink. "I can't believe I did that to _the king_."

"Not the king. Erston," Teepo countered.

"King Gaius _is_ Erston," said Elize pointedly.

"_Erston_ is Gaius," argued Teepo. "But he's still Erston underneath."

"Ugh, talking to you is so unhealthy," Elize frowned.

"I could have told you that," he shrugged. "I'm turning myself off."

"Teepo!" True to its word, the doll was already in the off position. She often wondered how much psychological damage she had really suffered as a child to have a split personality that didn't listen to her.

Elize let out a self-deprecating laugh and sat down to the piano forte in the room, found a minor key with which to mull her thoughts over and started to play the "Hymn of Proof," the melody Ludger had taught her.

Her eyes started to sting. Elize had suffered enough in her childhood to last a lifetime. The smiles of the parents she couldn't remember were replaced by the kind face of Jiao. The scowling children at the Institute and those who threw stones at her in Hamil were replaced by the warm expressions of her friends. The feel of the bitter cold was replaced by the warmth of the sun. Warmth that sustained her…like the warmth from Erston's hand….

She pushed down all the other images that followed and as the refrain continued, it built up in complexity until her octaves were wrapped up in an angry mezzo forte. Just as Rowen had taught her, she channeled the darkness now through the music instead of destroying her surroundings, allowing it to rant and rage against everything, biting and snapping at the world. Just underneath the surface of her smile was a darker, scarier Elize that rarely ever saw the surface unless she was casting a mystic arte.

The melody changed into something foreboding. Her fingers frantically played the notes, clear but tumbling like a rolling thunderstorm. Elize now played in fortissimo as her fingers ran up and down the keys, chasing something that could not be caught. The entire length of the keyboard was busily at work and chord upon chord, octaves wide, both long and quick, singing out her tumultuous feelings. Her fingers never stopped, even when the thunderstorm was rolling away in a different key. A final clash of lightning struck the board unleashing a deluge, drowning everything in an angry finish.

Her fingers lingered on the keys she started with, and once again returned to the hymn, a solemn, wistful melody floating to the surface. She needed more time. She wanted more chances to splash in the rain; to eat her favorite dishes with gusto like Milla; to go to her favorite nook in the Talim Library and study herb lore; or to hold…his hand…. The refrain played until it was nothing but a whisper, and then it was gone, like a flame extinguished in the dark.

Elize had not cried since she remembered her past upon a chance meeting with Isla. After all this time, perhaps she had never been one of the strong.

* * *

Author's notes: I had rewritten this chapter at least twice, and the previous chapter is completely new. I originally wanted Elize to get stuck with someone in a broom closet, but it was silly and too romantic for the flavor of the story. While deleting entire chapters I continued to write, but then had to rearrange the chapters to try and maintain the flow. I didn't write this chronologically and that's really different for my style, so I apologize in advance if earlier readers found the story disjointed.

This is and angsty version of Elize's feelings, but I wanted to show this girl has a lot more depth to her, and underneath the sweet little girl everyone sees is a young lady of depth.

-Kero


	9. Tales of hearts

**Chapter 9: Tales of hearts**

Elize meandered deep into the garden as dusk was approaching. The servants had lit the lamps and she slowly and deliberately navigated the stone path around the rose bushes she loved, the fountain of cherubs hidden from view of the house and all the smells of greenery, savoring every step and every change of light. She was engraining into memory everything it meant to be a Sharil and she knew she could no longer be of use to Rowen and Driselle. In her pocket was a letter requesting a leave of absence from her post. All this time Elize had lived to assist them and repay her debt but there was also a tiny wish that wanted something for herself, something that was hers and only hers. She turned her heavy eyes upward looked up at the fading sky and wondered what it might be.

Elize left her letter for her undersecretary to deliver to her sister, afraid that Driselle would ask too many questions, and departed Sharilton, pointing her mare towards Xian Du. The long journey was mostly uneventful, save a few stray monsters here and there, and in the course of a week she made her way from Sapstrath Seahaven to Lakutam Seahaven, and then through the trade route across the Plains of Auj Oule.

After settling her horse at the inn, Elize wandered the streets of Xian Du until she came across the grand statue in the Central Ward. She looked up at the tribal forefather and wondered if young Erston had looked up at the same face, many years before, praying for success in the Coliseum to distinguish himself and make a name for his small tribe. In the Xian Du tradition Elize paid for a piece of rice paper from a vendor and scribbled down a prayer for the ancestors. She looked up to the sky and sent her prayer gliding out from the bridge down to the river, wondering if The Great Maxwell would catch it. Elize laughed a little as she imagined the paper hitting Milla in face in mid-air, and watched her prayer carry off into the distance.

When she asked the locals about Luke she was directed to the local school. The Xian Du Academy of Learning focused on Auj Oule history, economics and the art of animal training and husbandry. It was funded by King Gaius and the various remaining tribes.

As she approached the steps, Elize noticed the familiar face of a woman with raven hair. This lady's eyes were just like her brother's, brown flecked with gold when calm, and fire red when serious - a fitting trait for a tribe that was named after an eternal flame in the ancient tongue.

"Well hello," said Karla, noticing the pale featured young lady at the base of the steps.

"Hello Miss Karla. How is that biography coming along?" asked Elize with a smile.

"Nearly finished," smiled the king's sister, moving down to meet her. "What brings you here?"

"I'm looking for someone named Luke. I hear he's a teacher at this academy."

"Oh, you must mean our economics lecturer. I'm afraid he's been out sick recently but he's expected back next week. I was just about to bring him the staff meeting syllabus to him. Would you like to accompany me?"

Elize followed Karla to a nearby flat and Karla rang the door bell. When there was no answer, she impatiently knocked on the door. "He might be out," she frowned. Elize quietly hoped he was not collapsed inside.

As she was contemplating whether she should come back or break down the door, a neighbor passed by and indicated he had just left. Karla suggested they have tea at the local inn and wait for his return.

There was something about Karla's demeanor that made Elize grin at the similarities with her brother. Even the way they stirred their tea was identical.

Karla picked up on Elize's distracted smile and asked, "What's so amusing?"

Elize giggled behind. "Erston and you are very much alike."

"Erston?" asked Karla with a quizzical eyebrow.

"Well...Gaius, I meant," Elize corrected. "I have a habit of calling him Erston now. Whenever I'm with him I can only see him as Erston...who is extremely kind. Gaius is a touch too intimidating," she said honestly.

"I see," nodded his sister knowingly. "I had no idea my brother showed that side of himself to others. He probably wouldn't like it if I included all this touchy-feely stuff in my book."

"Probably not," Elize laughed, imagining his reaction. "He would summon you to the castle immediately."

Karla laughed out loud. "You know him pretty well."

After tea, Karla asked quietly, "Is he all right?"

"Yes, though he definitely needs more sleep. Sometimes I think he could use a friend to share his day with," Elize smiled thoughtfully. Rowen was probably the closest he has to a '_bestie_,' though theirs was a working relationship and they spent most of their time in meetings. Ludger came even closer, and they even renamed a sword arte in commemoration of their their friendship. But aside from the occasional business meetings for managing spyrite technology she thought it unlikely they would find time to interact often.

"We all have different roles to play in rebuilding the world and have mostly gone our separate ways. King Gaius' role is to protect the weak and ensure the wellbeing of Rieze Maxians, but in exchange he sacrifices his own needs and suppresses a lot of who he is underneath. He works extremely hard. I don't know if he realizes that we're all just a GHS call away, but then again…," Elize stifled a laugh, "he's really awful when it comes to using technology."

After a long pause Elize looked up from her teacup to see that Karla was observing her with greater scrutiny now.

"Do you…care for him?" Karla asked gently. "I can tell you're fond of Gaius. Are you in love with him?"

Elize blinked in surprise.

Elize had so few examples in her life for comparison. The feelings she had for Jude were replaced by a sisterly affection, and any romantic feeling was too brief for in-depth study. It was the same for Ludger who was destined for someone else. The closest thing she had to familial love was Rowen, Driselle and Jiao. They were a grandfather, a sister and an overprotective uncle to the young Elize. What she felt for Alvin bordered more closely to flirtatious friendship. What she felt with Erston was unlike any of these.

Love was all encompassing and sacrificial, as Wingul who died for his king and friend, or her mother who left a life of luxury to marry someone of her own choosing, had exemplified. Her life was complicated enough and Elize had easily rejected love and its havoc for many years.

Yet she couldn't deny that she enjoyed being in his presence and that he gave her a continuing sense of calm over the growing darkness. She needed only think of him to feel his warmth, like that of a rising dawn. A flush crept across her face as she recalled the more tender moments they had shared.

"Reminiscing?" asked Karla with a wry smile.

Elize shook her head, "It's...complicated."

"It often is," Karla responded. "I don't know if you knew this, but I was engaged once. Though I was only eleven at the time I imagined myself in love though I really wouldn't marry until I came of age. My fiancé was valiant and handsome and from a well known tribe. I imagined myself in love with him. I was sick through most of my childhood, rarely venturing outside, and I saw my marriage as a means of escaping monotony while my family saw it as a means of rising up in power. One fateful day, my fiancé's decision caused an enormous loss of life, wiping out all the men of my tribe during the Battle of Fezbel. My brother could not have forgiven him for that. My fiancé never came back and neither did my brother. I often wonder if I actually loved my fiancé because I grieved the loss of my brother more. I could never forget Erston's kindness or his loyalty. So I'm not surprised that you've grown fond of him, especially not if he's shown you who he really is."

"Did…Erston kill…?" asked Elize, unable to complete the sentence. Gaius was known for his blood stained hands but Elize still thought him above a slaying a lesser man for the sake of revenge. Yet, if he was in a fit of rage, that would be different.

Karla merely shook her head. "I never did ask," she smiled. "It didn't matter. Whether my brother ran him through or he died of shame, or he was forced to commit suicide to atone for his actions made no difference to me. I only know that I loved my brother and I can at least support Gaius from the sidelines, right? Though sometimes I wish I saw him more often."

Elize looked out the paned window to the bustling street. Above everything was the same sky that had witnessed the events of the past, and knew the truth. It was the same sky under which Erston was traveling now. In that moment she felt connected to him under that sky, and regretted she did not speak with him before she left Sharilton.

For the first time her feelings were telling her not to run from him.

"I need to be strong because I made a vow to save his people, and he promised to help me. That relationship should be enough," she declared, hearing the conviction in her voice rather than feeling it.

"Is it?" asked Karla.

"It is," she responded. _Because anything else is impossible._

-000-

When she parted ways with Karla, she intended to stop by Luke's flat again, but a familiar shimmering form with wings stopped her in her tracks. In her hands was the piece of paper Elize had earlier sent off into the breeze.

Múzet smiled mischievously and said, "If it's the king's happiness you wish for, I'll be the first one to help."


	10. The spirit of cooperation

**Chapter 10: The spirit of cooperation**

Elize remained speechless as the spirit floated towards her. She wasn't so concerned about the people staring as much as she was about explaining how she had long ago lost the creepy feather hair charm Muzét had given the group as proof of friendship. Teepo often described the charm as "cursed" and was glad to be rid of it but Elize knew the gesture was sincere. Even if Muzét was socially awkward, she did have everyone's best interests at heart. Still, they weren't exactly friends and Muzét's reactions were so unpredictable...

_Best not to mention it._

Elize asked nonchalantly, "What brings you from the spirit realm, Muzét?"

"Oh, I was really bored. I did manage to keep Milla and the Four entertained for a while but there's no one to entertain _me_," the spirit pouted.

Muzét's self-centeredness was not surprising at all. "Well, I'm on an errand, so I don't really have time to linger," began Elize, turning to leave.

"Are you going to see Gaius?"

"W-what? Why would I do that?" she asked nervously, eyeing the piece of paper in Muzét's hand, wondering how she could take it back and burn it. "I'm actually going to check in on someone who's sick."

Muzét wrinkled her nose at the thought. "But I thought you wished for the king's happiness?" she insisted and read the unfolded paper over again to confirm. "I'd imagine you can validate that when you're actually with him."

"I d-do, but...," stammered Elize.

"Then why aren't you _with_ him?" Muzét insisted. "I'm on my way to visit the castle. I'll let you tag along and maybe even give you some hints."

Elize tilted her head to one side. It was better _not_ to ask, but her curiosity got the better of her.

"One way to make a man _really _happy is to-" Muzét sidled up and started whispering into Elize's ear until the young lady turned bright red.

"Muzét!" Elize cried out in a scandalized voice. The spirit laughed merrily and flapped her butterfly-like wings in delight.

"You're so easy to tease!" she said mirthfully. "I'm only trying to help."

Elize couldn't even dignify a response and only frowned her disapproval.

"Well aren't you a pent up little thing," sighed Muzét, cocking her head to one side. "I can't believe you've grown up and haven't even started enjoying life."

"It's not like you even _know_ what half the things you said actually are!" said Elize in a huff. "Besides, I don't have time to enjoy anything."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm…sick from the experiments I went through at Labari. I'm actually trying to find a cure for all of us, otherwise…. Which I why I should get going," said Elize, making her way past the spirit.

Muzét digested this information thoughtfully and then her eyes lit up with inspiration. She halted Elize with an outstretched arm.

"I know! You need to enjoy life at the fullest before the end. That means you need to make a list of things to do before it's all over. I believe this is what they call a 'bucket list.' I don't know what buckets have to do with anything, but this'll be fun!"

"I really don't think that's necessary -" began Elize, fearing the ideas that seemed to be popping into the spirit's head by the second.

"Come on!" said Muzét, pulling Elize down the street.

"Where are we going?"

"To the Coliseum, of course. Nothing makes you feel more alive than a fierce battle with your life at stake. Gaius said that to me once."

"Are you insane?" Elize demanded. In fact she continued to ask this question as Muzét flew them to the boat dock which would take them to the Coliseum, with Elize continuing to resist and Muzét continuing to ignore.

Elize's prior question became an accusation of "You're insane!" immediately thereafter, as their first battle began. Thankfully, Muzét had only signed them up for a beginner's round, and with a formidable spirit on the offense, they easily outclassed their opponents.

Overcoming her initial shock, Elize relished in the feeling of battle and let spells she had not uttered in a very long time gleefully roll off her tongue. As the opponents increased in number with each round Elize indulged a little, letting out short spurts of artes to her heart's delight. With every spell, the darkness pent up within lessened as she fought, and a heavy burden seemed to lift from her shoulders as she began to fully embrace her fate.

As her prize medal for the quickest completion of a beginner's round in recorded history gleamed in the setting sun, she was still smiling at the novel experience.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," smiled Muzét eyeing her companion's expression. "It took your mind off things, didn't it?" Elize looked at the spirit and could not deny she was touched by the fact Muzét had cheered her up by way of diversion. Of course, it was a dangerous diversion, but she couldn't deny it was fun. Her partner had done most of the heavy lifting, anyhow.

"Thank you," she said shyly.

Muzét swooped her up in a fit of glee and squeezed the air out of her. "You're so cute!" she exclaimed.

To distract Muzét, Elize asked her to go find some ice pops to refresh them while she stopped by Luke's flat once more. Thankfully, he was in this time, and looking better than expected. After introducing herself they fell into quick conversation about his symptoms and whether he felt well enough to work. What was a little more difficult to discuss was the prognosis and each patient's anticipated life span. Patients in the advanced stages, like Peter, had less time. Luke's symptoms had just begun, and she anticipated he would outlast them all with treatment.

After explaining Jude's plan, Luke pursed his lips in thought. "I guess I don't have a choice. If your friend develops the technology to repair the damage, then count me in."

"Is there anything you need to do before then?" asked Elize. "I'm told the prototype is going to be finished this month."

"Perhaps I could ask the secretary at the front desk out for a date like I've been meaning to do. I've had a crush on her for a while now," he said sheepishly.

Elize smiled in response.

"After all, we're orphans right? So it's natural for us to crave human contact." He grinned at Elize cheerfully. "Don't you have someone you'd like to be with before the end?"

There was only one person her heart drifted toward, but she shook her head. "No, unfortunately."

With her intended task complete, Elize walked back across the bridge in silence as the sun was setting. Children and couples hung their prayer pennants and wrote their wishes on rice paper carried off by the wind. The look of the city against the setting sun was arresting and she leaned up against the long bridge facing the coliseum. The sun painted the sky aglow in gold and purple hues. Just as she was thinking of what a marvel it would have been to see the twelve year old Erston Outway fight every level of the Coliseum's elite round, a commotion by the food carts pulled her attention back to the present.

-000-

The king's entourage had made it into Xian Du by noon. He gave immediate orders and his assistants scrambled to begin his business with the tribal leaders before he took his noonday meal at the inn with the local magistrate of the city. They discussed matters of immediate concern for Xian Du and afterwards he listened to the citizen petitions patiently through the afternoon. By the time it ended, his assistants' table was piled high with documents he would need to read carefully and either accept or reject or revise the proposals in the coming days.

Finally, when he had a moment of respite he wandered outside for some peace. The sun was setting in the west behind the Coliseum, and he looked on the arena with feelings of nostalgia mixed with loathing. However his thoughts were interrupted by a commotion in the market square.

When he came towards a small crowd gathered before a food stall, he had a foreboding sense of _deja vu_. Muzét was in the center of the crowd, her expression guilty as she explained how her hunger had driven her to eat the contents of three vendor's carts without any intention of paying. To his surprise, Elize was also beside her, a hand to her forehead in exasperation. After paying off the vendors she tugged Muzét's hair downward to force the spirit to bow in apology before departing.

"I said 'grab some ice pops,' not 'eat everything in sight' Muzét," Elize sighed. She looked at her near empty coin purse and sighed even louder. "I should have made you do the dishes."

"Gaius made me do the dishes once in Drelin. It was so unpleasant. Alternatively I could have put it all on his credit, you know," Muzét shrugged nonchalantly.

"Don't you dare," she glared. "The king has enough things to do rather than go around the country paying off your debts. Ugh, now I'm going to have to borrow on Sharilton credit for lodgings," she said woefully.

"But I'm hungry," whined Muzét.

"Still?!" exclaimed Elize.

"Perhaps I may be of assistance," said a familiar deep voice, interrupting them. Elize looked up in astonishment as the king came forward. The thought did cross her mind that they happened upon one another quite often these days, but she supposed it could not be helped if they were traveling the same roads.

"Please take her off my hands and feed her," sighed Elize in defeat.

"Oh, perfect! Now we can make your wish come true, Elize," said Muzét with a clap of her hands. The young lady could only stare in horror at what the spirit might say next.

"First, I suggest you try-" began the spirit but she was immediately silenced as Elize grabbed a stick of roasted meat kabob from a nearby vending cart and shoved it into Muzét's mouth.

"You should try this mutton Muzét, it's really tasty!" Elize said cheerfully as she paid the vendor with her last coins.

The king's expression was a mix of shock and curiosity. Elize groaned both inwardly and outwardly at the thought of having to babysit Muzét for the evening until the king was gone, lest the spirit divulge her secret.

"Shall we go then?" asked Muzét cheerfully leading the way. "I'm in the mood for a feast!"

The king offered his arm and Elize took it gratefully, if only for support in what was to be an uncomfortable time ahead. As the king opened the door, Elize stopped short when she noted that Karla was exiting.

"Miss Karla," she said in surprise.

"Wouldn't you know I had a moment of absent mindedness and left Luke's staff meeting materials behind. Oh," she said as she noticed the two behind Elize. Elize stepped aside to introduce Muzét, but she was certain the king did not need an introduction.

"It is good to see you again, Your Highness," said Karla, inclining her head in greeting. A brief look of tenderness crossed his face but it was gone when he replied, "Well met, Miss Karla."

"Well isn't this just a grand old fam-" started Muzét but Elize grabbed a candy dish from a side table and offered it to the spirit before she could blurt out their secret in public. "Ooh! Candy!" Muzét exclaimed delightfully as she popped them into her mouth.

"We were just about to have dinner. Would you care to join us, Miss Karla?" asked the king formally.

"Oh, I don't know," said his sister, unsure if she would be in his way, especially in such a public place. Elize stepped up at that moment and suggested that it would be useful for the king to meet with his biographer and insisted that Karla accompany them. She wanted the siblings to spend some time together even if her true intention was to have Karla distract the king while she kept an eye on Muzét.

So it came to be that the king sat down with three women who, among the them, probably knew every side of him.

_This isn't awkward at all…_ she lamented as they sat down initially to silence.

Karla had grown up with him, and knew the old Erston Outway. Muzét had followed him and lent her strength to defeat his enemies as the leader of the Chimeriad. Elize, who had once fought against him with Jude, was afterwards allied with him to support Ludger. Now he was her sponsor. Perhaps their relationship was the most complicated of all.

Thankfully he looked completely at ease and was doing most of the talking. Taking his lead, it wasn't long before Elize followed suit and relaxed. Soon, Muzét was busy ordering every dish that passed their table, while the king and Karla politely chatted about the biography.

She couldn't help the smile that came to her face as she watched the siblings' interaction. Family was precious, after all. Having been bereft of real kin Elize envied them. She knew that the king kept Karla at arm's length to keep her safe from his enemies; just as Elize kept him at arm's length now to spare him any extra burden. _Yes, this is enough for me, as well,_ she thought to herself.

When he met her gaze she couldn't read his expression, but whatever feelings each heart protected remained unspoken for the present.

* * *

Author's note: It proved difficult getting into Elize's head. At first I thought I understood her; but who you are grown up may be different from who you were when younger though the core principles don't change. What her motivations were, why she did things independently and what things set off her dark, emotional side were first a mystery.

When you think about it these two were damaged from the start but I couldn't figure out how they could be catalysts for one another. The only relevant skit I found was about the "Teepo House," where Gaius expertly breaks up an argument between Elize/Teepo and Muzét. Eventually, what I used to mold their characters was Sakuraba's themes for Kanbalar and Hamil; "A Lord's City Towering in the Mountains," and "A Mountain Village in the Dawn." Elize and Gaius are uniquely tied to both those towns and it helped that they were both written/blended in the same flavor.

As I continued to write I found more similarities between them and continued to revise the whole story on the themes I picked up along the way, and as I recognized them so too did the characters. I'm glad you guys have followed along, small audience though you might be. I've revised and edited the story multiple times now, so most of the glaring bugs are fixed, and I think I'm finally happy with it. Please RxR if you have a chance and let me know what you think.

-K


	11. Irreplaceable treasure

**Chapter 11: Irreplaceable treasure**

Perhaps the king should not have ordered wine, as Muzét proved to be a particularly bad drunk, and despite Karla and Elize's calls for moderation the spirit was soon making a spectacle of herself. At some point Elize contemplated whether she should get a room and lock her away…or slip a curse charm on Muzét to sabotage her energy. Thankfully, Karla took over and persuaded the spirit to keep her mouth busy with plenty of water and to continue eating.

"It was curious to see the two of you together," commented the king as an aside to Elize while the others were busy ordering more food.

"Well, it was an..._unexpected_ meeting," emphasized Elize. "I ran into her while looking for a former Labari inmate."

"I see. You mustn't push yourself too hard. Your illness…," he faltered.

Elize smiled. "If I can survive a round at the Coliseum, I think I'll make it a little while longer."

"The Coliseum?" he asked sternly.

"Oh," said Elize covering her mouth. Perhaps the wine was getting to her as well. She smiled sheepishly in response. "Muzét's way of getting my mind off things, I suppose. It was only a beginner's entry and she did most of the work."

"I am concerned," he said honestly. "Rowen would also disapprove of such…exertion."

"It was the quickest battle in the history of the beginner's round. That's no small feat," she tried to justify and showed him the shiny medal. He let out an amused "Hmph" and took another sip of wine. "That only means you annihilated them with your artes," he said one part censure and other part praise.

Karla, who had been observing them, was beginning to understand the feelings that lingered between her brother and Elize as they awkwardly interacted, barely touching and yet somehow intimate, as if they shared a deep understanding of one another but resisted the attraction. A wry smile came to her lips as she continued to watch them speak in hushed tones.

Her expression soon turned to shock as Muzét suddenly stood up from the table and started to relay her "knowledge" on how to make a man happy.

"You'll never get anywhere with a man like _that_," the spirit taunted. "You have to take him by the reins and have your way with him."

"W-What?" asked Elize in a moderate degree of disbelief. Karla tried to persuade Muzét to sit down again but the spirit would not be deterred. The king sat still as a stone and closed his eyes to meditate, his usual practice when it came to Muzét's outbursts, hoping the moment would pass uneventfully even as he felt the gazes of several others from nearby tables.

"For one, you need to wear less clothing," said Muzét playfully.

"Like you, perhaps?" sighed Elize.

"Exactly!" giggled the spirit. "If you go around looking like a boring secretary or stroll around in pink like a schoolgirl men will never be interested…unless they're _into_ that sort of thing."

_Into…?_ thought Elize with a raised brow.

"I believe she's referring to _cosplay_," ventured Karla. "Or maybe _lolicon_?"

"You're _not_ helping," said Elize, giving Karla a look of mild distress.

"Sorry."

"Next, you need to do something about that flat chest," nodded Muzét affirmatively.

"It's not like I can _change_ that," she retorted hotly. "Compared to _those bazongas you carry around_ anyone's flat as a board." Elize bit her lip and regretted how _Teepo_ that sounded.

Karla sighed.

"It slipped," Elize apologized.

"You won't be impressing him with small talk either," continued Muzét, completely ignoring them both. "You need to praise and stroke the male ego, among other things."

"Good heavens," sighed Karla, putting her head in her hands, wondering how the conversation had taken a sudden turn toward the lewd.

"Finally, you need to get intimate. Though I'm not sure how humans do it; I think it's like direct tethering for spirits. It's so wonderful to be tethered to another soul, sharing mana, energy and feelings. Of course, an inexperienced woman like yourself wouldn't know that. Just thinking about how commanding and direct Gaius was when we tethered gives me _goosebumps_," she laughed while blushing and hugging herself. By this time the king's eyes were wide open again. Karla nearly choked on her drink.

King Gaius coughed nervously. "I had no idea at the time…and I haven't done anything of the sort since," he muttered.

"Oh Gaius," said Muzét, dangling her arms over his shoulders. "You really need to loosen up!"

Elize was just an incantation away from blowing up the table but she somehow controlled it. The disproportionate urge to react and the familiar dark, unbalanced feeling in her chest was bubbling to the surface. She was quick to recognize her anger stemmed from jealousy, of all things, and came to a sudden realization that her captors at Labari had often triggered her powers by using her emotions. The more emotional she was, the stronger the power she unleashed. Her anger subsided only to be replaced by a sad, empty feeling.

Elize stood up and declared that she was going to get some air, leaving Muzét to her own devices, come what may.

She exited the inn and wandered onto the streets under the starlight. The outdoors refreshed her. The smell of burning torches and nightfall was on the breeze. Elize wandered aimlessly to the bridge where she had tried to send out her wish earlier. But without the sunlight, the bridge hovered over a dark, seemingly bottomless river. Elize could only stare into it, wondering how many other wishes had been consumed by the darkness and never answered.

-000-

Back at the table, Karla picked up a folded piece of paper from the floor. "What's this?"

"Oh for some reason people in this city throw pieces of paper over the bridge like confetti. I've been observing them all day."

"It's a tradition that dates back to the beginning of the Coliseum. Participants used to fight to the death, and often traveled far from home to fight. So they would write their heart's wish on paper and let the wind carry it to the intended destination in case they didn't make it back. Nowadays, young people write their wishes too, not just Coliseum participants, and wish for things like good grades, or first loves. It's rather romantic," said Karla wistfully.

"The barbarism of the past never ceases to amaze me," said the king quietly. "However, I am glad that the next generation will not remember it and instead found a depressing tradition and turned it into a happy one."

"I agree, Your Majesty," his sister smiled.

"I told Elize she needn't bother since I was going to help her. If she follows any one of my suggestions I'm sure she'd make a breakthrough. Though, I don't know why she made a wish on someone's behalf, all things considering" said Muzét with a pout as she sat back down onto her chair.

"Oh?" asked Karla.

Muzét nodded towards the piece of paper and shrugged. "You'd think a dying girl would wish for something for herself. Instead, she wished for Gaius' happiness. What good would that do for her?"

Erston suddenly stood up and excused himself from the dining hall.

-000-

When he saw Elize on the bridge he approached her slowly, cautiously observing her in silence. She seemed to be thinking on something that made her frown as if she had swallowed something bitter. Muzét triggered an emotional response and he concluded that most likely, he was the cause. He did not want her to think ill of him, and somehow he needed to make it right.

Elize was eventually pulled out of her thoughts by his presence and watched with her soulful eyes as he drew near.

"Are you well?" he asked diplomatically, gauging the tension. Her agitation troubled him because it required more finesse than merely soothing the egos on both sides of an argument. For once he was uncertain as to what he should say.

"I just needed air," Elize dismissed. "I'll return in a moment."

"Muzét…" he began, but then stopped to consider his words. "She has a way of saying the most inappropriate things at the most inconvenient times."

"You don't need to apologize for her. You're _not_ her keeper." Elize was surprised at how snappish that sounded, and to the king, no less. To her chagrin the words could not be taken back.

"I…." He left his sentence hanging and came closer, but said nothing further.

She frowned at her inability to control her discontent and she could tell it was making him uncomfortable. Elize let the stillness seep between them as she tried to think of a way to make things comfortable between them again.

"About that…I had no idea…with spirits…." he tried again, after a long pause.

"Oh," she said, blushing and remembering Muzét's conversation. "_That_."

"Had I known I would have opted to do things differently and relied on my _own_ strength," he complained grumpily. "I was truly appalled when she explained it to me the first time. It's even more disconcerting that she would say these things out loud in front of others."

A sideways glance at his nettled expression made Elize laugh, and it finally diffused the strain between them. _He's doing this for my sake, isn't he?_ she wondered.

"I guess it couldn't be helped if you needed her power," she relented.

"I'm relieved you've decided not to hold it against me."

"I wasn't-" she started to argue. "I…There's no reason why you should justify any of your actions or seek approval from _me_. You're _King Gaius _of Rieze Maxia." She turned away and murmured, "I'm just _Elize_. Whatever's irking me is my own problem."

"I seek the approval of _all_ my subjects," he countered, in a low, gentle tone. "The more I am with you, the more I feel I need your approval, especially. It is _not_ just your problem."

Elize just blinked at him, wondering if she had heard correctly. She had drawn her line in the sand, and he just crossed over it.

"Muzét told me your wish. It is impossible for her to keep secrets when drunk," he sighed. Elize's cheeks went red and she groaned as she turned her face towards the river, silently wishing it would swallow her up.

He cleared his throat and looked at her directly. "But enough of Muzét. I've been wanting to speak with you. I didn't have a chance after we battled the Arrow Folzam at Culmar Trail. I want to clarify if your wish had anything to do with what happened between us that night in the castle." That image of him leaning over her in the dimly lit hall and her hasty decision to assault him with a kiss immediately popped into mind and she visibly shrank from him.

"I-I wanted to apologize for that," she said nervously. "It was an impulsive first for me."

"If you succumbed to youth's folly and now seek forgiveness, I can accommodate. But something compels me to inquire if you…regret it?" he asked carefully.

Elize already knew her answer before shaking her head, "No. I don't. Forgive me if I made you uncomfortable, but I don't regret it." _I would never regret it…_

"Then there is nothing to forgive. But your feelings are wasted on someone like me. I am the last person who deserves happiness since I can only take away the happiness of others," he said stoically as he leaned over the darkness.

"My sister's fiance committed suicide after I forced him, and I merely watched as her hopes died in front of me. I am grateful she's never asked me. I abandoned her to pursue my own ideal, killing everyone who opposed me, leaving widows and orphans wherever I went. I vowed I would never do anything I would regret but would regret not doing anything. I only moved forward and I watched my comrades fall to further my goals. Yet there are times I think I could have done things differently and people may have been spared." His eyes were wistful now, as if remembering something fondly in private.

He was speaking of the path he created for himself as Gaius. To Elize Erston and Gaius were different sides of him, separate and yet the same, just as she and Teepo were two separate sides of herself. Gaius and Teepo had both been created from pain, but all that was left now on the bridge was simply Erston and Elize.

"The chaos and barbarism would have swallowed Auj Oule had you not stepped up," Elize reasoned. "If anything my past is a reflection of that terrible time you stopped." She looked up to the vast open sky and the sea of stars that watched over the world without judgment. "There's no sin in Erston finding happiness while Gaius does his duty and atones for any sins of the past by helping the people in the present. I don't see why the two can't coexist."

A cool breeze stirred in the quiet. They were standing so close to one another their shoulders were almost touching, and she could feel the warmth of his presence drawing her in. Elize breathed in that faint, familiar scent that made her heart wish for many other things that it should not desire.

"Happiness…and duty…coexisting…," he repeated.

"I know you take pride in your work and you feel," she paused for the right word, "_obligated_ to overwork yourself. But when we falter, it's life's simple pleasures that bring happiness to fuel our lives, no matter how hard or tedious the road ahead," Elize placed a hand on his arm and gave him a forgiving squeeze. "Our friends taught me that."

His hand covered hers and he sighed, finally overcome by her sincerity that obliterated his last defense.

"Before you wish for the happiness of others do not give up on your own just yet. Perhaps there is also a way for your happiness and mine to…," he paused to give her the most genuine smile she had ever seen on his face, "coexist."

-000-

When Gaius' entourage continued towards the capital his mind traveled back to recall last night's parting. He regretted that he could not go with her. His frustration grew daily that with all his power he could do nothing. He had spent entire nights awake after that exchange in Kanbalar, examining his actions and questioning the unfamiliar feeling of wanting something for himself. His one truth was that the more he thought of her, the more he wanted to see her smile again.

Elize was fragile and strong, a walking contradiction brightly shining as she hid the darkness within. For Elize, experience, not age, defined her wisdom. Admirably, her hard beginnings had enhanced her ability to empathize. Behind her actions of helping others was the soul of a young woman who simply wanted to be loved.

Perhaps it was this idea that drove him to hold her close under the canopy of stars as they stood on the bridge, unwavering even as he felt her stiffen with the sudden embrace.

It was also an impulsive first for him, but he did not regret it.

Just as his thoughts traveled back to her, so too did her thoughts go with him as the distance between them expanded. Elize fingered the delicately embroidered handkerchief that smelled faintly of lavender as she proceeded towards the port that would take her to Marksburg. A shy smile crept across her face as she remembered what he had said when he held her.

_"Will you indulge me in another Auj Oule tradition? It had been popular with my tribe that one would exchange an article with someone…cherished."_ She had hung onto the last word and felt her face turn a deep shade of pink as he placed something in her hand. Elize remembered staring at the embroidered pattern of a _princessia_ flower just as his name escaped in a sigh.

_"It reminded me of you, a flower blooming in adversity with the power to heal even the hardest of hearts,"_ he had said with an admitting smile._ "You of all people know the meaning of its name, do you not?"_

Thinking back on that moment with pleasure he remembered how her resistance fell away to reveal a smile that lit up her entire face when she thanked him. There was an unforgettable expression of happiness as she held it tightly to her chest. He engraved that image into his mind as his carriage continued onward.

His actions told her there was no sin in finding happiness before the end. Elize was grateful he did not ask how long it could be. His feelings protected her from what was to come. She embraced the moment in her memory as it fueled her present journey forward.

* * *

Author's note:

The main event that triggered this pairing to begin with was a side quest when Gaius and his new friends from Trigleph agreed to go on a trip to Rieze Maxia (I forget the name of the forest) and he fell asleep mid-sentence because he had been working too hard. I never felt bad for Gaius until then, and just as with Elize, I decided Erston also had a right to be happy. That's when my ship sailed (waves goodbye). Now the only thing to decide is if she lives or…not. j/k

P.s. In the Xillia cannon, _princessia_ in flower language means "Precious treasure" (Eng.) and "long and healthy life"; or "Irreplaceable treasure" (Jap.).

-Kero


	12. A king's ransom

**Chapter 12: A king's ransom**

Elize walked through the crowded streets of Marksburg looking for the name of a particular merchant stand. She had gone to Elympios on a tip from Luke that a former Labari test subject had opened up a shop by the name of 'Goodwyn's Emporium' on the Bridge of Unity.

Stopping by a food stand, she noticed the headline of the Trigleph Post on the counter: _Terrorist Threat Amid Trial for EXODUS._ Eight members of a key terrorist cell were being transported to Rieze Maxia to stand trial in accordance with the peace accord. They had bombed a shipment of spirit fossils used to construct _spyrite_ from Leronde en route to Helioborg Fortress. She bought a copy and sat down to eat her egg omelet on rice - not quite as good as Ludger's, but passable.

She turned the page to see also that Rowen and the King were attending the opening ceremony of the Union Army Headquarters in Marksburg tomorrow.

Her hand intuitively touched the pocket where she kept his gift. Elize could feel the warmth in her heart unceasingly growing. Gaius gave her a new, immeasurable source of energy. This created a lighter, more peaceful resilience to face her fate as opposed to her hatred for Labari and the darkness that fueled her need to finish this quest.

His actions suggested that even if she was not one of the strong, Elize could borrow his strength to give her courage to continue.

Though she traveled alone her friends and family were constantly following up. Leia called to tell her that the article on Labari was going to print. Elize hoped it would allow others she could not find to come forward for treatment. Jude was constantly texting her updates on the prototype. She had also received a text from Luna last night, asking after her health and about Rieze Maxian teas. She received near daily texts from her family. Driselle and then Rowen that morning had asked her how she was faring and warned her to be careful on the road.

Elize never felt uncomfortable while alone on her journey until she came to Marksburg. Not long after she passed through to the end of the Bridge did she feel she was being watched.

Elize ducked into an alley and observed carefully. A pair of cloaked men, confused by her sudden disappearance, agreed to split up and search.

"Damnit," said one of them. "If she's really the Prime Minister's relative we need to catch her before tomorrow's ceremony. Otherwise Jerry is going to initiate the other plan."

"My source tells me that's her," said the other. "Unlike the king, the prime minister is open with his relationships. He has connections to the House Sharil in Rashugal. The girl is Elize Sharil, and he practically raised her. Many see her as his protégé. We'll use her to free the others."

"Then there'd be no need to follow through with Jerry's crazy plan," finished the other. "This is the last thing I do for him to repay my debt, then I'll just take my little sister and leave.

Elize watched them depart in different directions. She contemplated which one she would take on first but wanted to avoid involving bystanders. One was heading to the harbor and the other back to the bridge so she silently followed the first to the less populated area. Jumping onto shipping crates to avoid detection she made a dash to the edge and leapt over her would-be captor. Casting a ground spell in mid-air, she brought the man to his hands and knees.

"What the hell?!" he cursed. She then conjured a giant Teepo to sit on him until he was unconscious. Elize alerted the habor master to inform the Union office that he was a suspected train pervert and that he should be detained for questioning.

She then hurried back in the other direction and located the accomplice. When she found him she confronted him directly, mage staff drawn.

"Turn yourself in, Exodus," she ordered.

"Damnit, how the hell-?" the man cursed, looking for his partner.

"He's not coming," she answered. "You're not going to interfere with Rowen or His Highness. Where is your leader?"

"As if I'd tell you," he spat.

"You can't possibly believe they'd negotiate with you even if you caught me, do you?" she asked.

"What do you know about it?" he said between gritted teeth.

"If you care about your sister you should just run away," she replied. "I also...have someone I care about. I'd do whatever I could to spare him from being hurt."

"If I don't capture you for ransom, we'll never be free of him," he said quietly. The truth in his expression gave Elize pause, and contemplated her next step carefully.

"There's no need for you to do this. I can help you run away. Take me to the one in charge."

Remmy didn't know what to make of her. Not believing his good fortune, he bound her hands and took Elize towards the shipping containers on the Elympios side. Walking in the shadows to avoid the Union guards that were patrolling everywhere in anticipation of tomorrow's event, they came upon a small shed, where inside, she saw a man with an eye patch drinking liquor and eating a meal. She presumed this was Jerry.

"Remmy, my boy! I can't believe you pulled it off," the man laughed. "She's supposed to know them _artes_ or some such, I'm surprised you were able to catch her." He forced Elize's chin up and leered at her. "Pretty little thing aren't you?" She jerked her face away from his grasp. "Feisty too. You're worth a king's ransom."

"I'm going to write the ransom note and send it to the Union HQ," said Remmy. "Where's Pamela?" he asked anxiously.

"Just runnin' errands. She'll catch up with us later. Where's Saul?"

"I-I don't think he's coming back," answered Remmy.

"Tch, coward."

Elize spent an unpleasant evening tied to a post in an upright position at Jerry's insistence. When he finally fell asleep in the loft above, she spent her time conversing with her other captor, Remmy, who loosened the rope to let her lean against the wall. She discovered that Jerry was a distant relation who took both Remmy and Pamela in when their parents passed away. Unknown to the siblings at the time, he was a member of Exodus. Over the years he made them run errands for his terrorist cell in exchange for free room and board. Remmy was a touch younger than Elize and his sister was only ten. He was relieved that Elize did not tell the harbor master that his friend, Saul, was a member of Exodus.

"Being a terrorist in Elympios means certain death," said Elize sadly as she remembered events of the past. "I couldn't help but feel your desperation to leave all this behind. Your friend was doing it to help you. Jerry on the other hand is…non-reformable."

"Heh," her captor said, giving her water from a canteen. "You're a nice lady, and you're sharp. No wonder you're related to the prime minister."

"Actually I'm an orphan, like you," Elize confessed. "Rowan took care of me and became my mentor, so I guess it's no wonder people mistake me for his real granddaughter."

"No kiddin'," said Remmy. "It's good that you found someone like that to take care of you."

"He's been very protective," smiled Elize. "He paid for my schooling then I was adopted by the lady of House Sharil and I served them both to repay my debt. I never forgot who I am though, and since they take such good care of me I donate my wages to the local orphanage. Maybe you and your sister can go to Sharilton and stay there for a while?" she suggested. "You only have each other, Remmy. If you get caught you'll be executed and then where will she be?" encouraged Elize. "Family is precious."

Her captor looked at her for a moment and sunk his head low. "You're right. I'm going to find a way to take care of her, without Jerry." He looked at her and smiled. "I'm going to find a way to get you back safely, Lady Elize."

"I can take care of myself," she smiled. "Just watch out for your sister."

-000-

When morning came, the whole town was abuzz with the arrival of Elympion and Rieze Maxian esteemed guests. With the podium and microphones set up the crowd started to gather and reporters milled around. The Chancellor was first to arrive and then the Prime Minister and finally the king. They gathered on one side of the stage as the master of ceremonies, the mayor of Marksburg, was warming up the crowd.

"Is there any word on where Elize might be?" Chancellor Marcia asked them quietly.

"No," said Rowen with a contemplative sigh. "There was a report from the harbor master describing a golden-haired young lady who turned in a suspicious person. Union officers detained him and he was eventually released. He probably caught on he was being followed and has quit the Marksburg region entirely.

"I wonder," said the Chancellor thoughtfully. "Elize may have been protecting him by not naming him a terrorist."

"Yes, I suspect that she did for her own reasons," said Rowen. "Yet it was quite reckless of her to take this upon herself."

"Elympios does not negotiate with terrorists," said Marcia steadily.

"Nor does Rieze Maxia," said Rowen. "But everything is being done to retrieve her safely."

The king, who had been silent until then, gripped the side rail of the stage and bent it with his bare hand. "It is unfortunate that we are still dealing with Exodus," he said, his voice low and menacing. He had already sent his contingency guard to assist the Union officers in search of Elize. In his coat pocket he could feel the presence of the small keychain of a handmade Teepo doll, reminding him of what was at stake.

"Are you…all right, Your Highness?" asked the chancellor. He seemed to be keeping an abundance of tumultuous emotions in check behind his hard, dark expression.

"I am fine," he growled. Rowen and Marcia exchanged uneasy glances.

-000-

When Elize arrived at the Union Headquarters' opening ceremony where the Chancellor had started speaking, her eyes immediately searched for Gaius and was relieved to see he was fine, though looking a bit strained.

_He's probably worried._

She would have to end this quickly. Her hands still bound, loosely with Remmy's help, she walked in-between her captors and approached the crowd.

"I can't believe it," snarled Jerry. "They're carrying on as if nothing is wrong."

"Neither Rieze Maxia nor Elympios negotiates with terrorists," said Elize unfeelingly.

"He's your family!" hissed Jerry. "I wouldn't have taken him for a heartless bastard like the king."

"Don't you _dare_ badmouth either of them," Elize snapped back.

"It's time for Plan B, then," he said with a smile that did not quite reach his eyes.

"What? No!" said Remmy in anguish, frantically looking for his sister in the crowd. Elize wrenched herself out of Jerry's grasp, and when he drew a knife and slashed at her, she held up her restraints so that he cut her bonds.

"Damnit!" he cursed and drew a pistol this time. Remmy tossed her staff to her and she immediately cast a shield spell as the firearm went off and the bullet ricocheted away into the air. The crowd panicked at the sudden sound of gunfire and the Union guards ushered the Chancellor to safety in one way, and the Prime Minister and King in the opposite direction.

"You little-" he cursed. "Stay still, damned _arte_ user!"

"Too slow!" she taunted. "_Teepo chomp_!" Elize conjured a version of Teepo that swallowed her attacker's head and he stumbled backward. "Catch me, if you can." Elize then took off in a sprint, as quickly as her soft soled, fine leather boots could take her, with Remmy in tow.

"Where is she?" Elize demanded as they wove their way through the panicked crowd.

"There!" pointed Remmy. Elize followed his line of vision to see a girl, likely no older than ten, carrying a flower basket and approaching the Chancellor. Her eyes went wide as she realized what the alternate plan was.

"Who has the detonator?" she demanded as they continued to push through the crowd running in the opposite direction.

"Jerry does!" shouted Remmy.

"Get your sister, throw the basket into the ocean and get away from here! Leave Jerry to me."

"Lady Elize," said Remmy gratefully, clasping her arm. "Thank you."

She manifested an altered version of the _Teepo copter_ to elevate herself from the crowd and look for her target. When she found him, she jumped down, twirling her staff and slamming the tip into the floor, crushing the stone beneath it.

"You," she growled at him, steel gray eyes glowing in pure anger. A dark aura started to emanate from her body and a shadow of dark purple tendrils formed all around her. "How dare you use a child!" she screamed at him. All of her abhorrence for the Labari Institute once again came bubbling to the surface and she had no desire to stop it even if she could. Jerry drew his dagger and slashed at her again but Elize crouched low to the ground, touching it gently with her fingertips, avoiding the attack.

She lashed an array of artes after that, each more powerful than the next, first to disarm him, then to wound him. Last, she would make him bleed.

"Strength of darkness," she chanted, casting the spell instantly as a dark aura enveloped him and pinned him in place, "punish the wicked." A dark shadow of death rose from the ground clutching a scythe.

"_Dark visitor_!" Elize called out, and the reaper swung around in graceful, rapid arcs. Jerry screamed as he was caught up in the slashing whirlwind, landing in a battered and bloody heap on the ground.

"Ugh," he sputtered, lifting his head to glare at her. She approached him and struck him across the face with the end of her staff. Though he was now unconscious she would have kicked him for good measure but the soldiers were approaching.

"Lady Elize Sharil," said the captain, saluting her. "The King and Prime Minister have been looking for you. If you'll come this way, please." The other guards dragged Jerry away in the opposite direction. Elize's chest tightened, and she started coughing violently. Elize waved away any assistance from the guards as there was nothing they could do for her. Taking more than the usual dosage of medication, her symptoms finally abated.

_Perhaps I went a little over board, _Elize thought to herself as she used the back of her hand to wipe the blood from her lips. She looked back and hoped Remmy and his sister were safe.


	13. Light and shadow

**Chapter 13: Light and shadow**

"Oh my, quite a blend of fruit and floral bouquets," smiled Rowen, always appreciative of a good cup of tea. "However did you know this is my favorite?"

"Elize volunteered the information when I texted her yesterday morning," smiled the Chancellor, who then nodded towards King Gauis' cup of crushed matcha green tea. "She told me what you both like." The king nodded approvingly but stared into his steamy cup without touching it, his brows still furrowed with worry.

"It's a marvel you can still appreciate tea at a time like this," his voice still on edge. The older gentleman merely smiled and sipped quietly.

_It is precisely a time like this that one must keep calm, Your Highness,_ Rowen thought to himself. He knew Elize was a force to be reckoned with, even if she looked harmless on the outside. Her captors would be terribly surprised. Rowen hoped Elize would not push herself and take her illness into consideration, for her sake and for the sake of those who loved her. He eyed the king carefully who had been visibly upset ever since Rowen reminded him of protocol to not interfere with Union jurisdiction in matters of safety.

"I wonder what's keeping her," sighed Chancellor Marcia in concern. They had received word from the commanding Union officer that the young woman who was allegedly held captive by Exodus had managed to free herself and launch a single handed artes attack against her captors to prevent a bombing on the Union Army headquarters.

In fact, many of the Union soldiers who subsequently returned reported they couldn't interfere, and only watched the ferocity of her artes, each one darker and more fearsome than the last. When the dust settled one assailant was badly wounded and immediately taken for emergency treatment while two other suspects, much younger, had fled.

To their dismay a soldier then came in to report that Elize declined the escort but instead sent a brief message to Rowen, Gaius and Marcia that she would not stay for tea. He also reported that she had looked unwell when she boarded the train for Trigleph.

There were in fact many reasons Elize left without seeing them. The truth that she had assisted members of Exodus despite her loyalty to her friend the Chancellor was one reason. The other was that a lack of prudence during her last fight had accelerated her illness.

While on board the train Elize received two expected text messages. One was of course from Rowen, who inquired after her well being and she responded by assuring him she was fine. The second was from Marcia, who asked why she hadn't come to tea, but Elize simply apologized and explained she had a prior engagement. Just as she was about to turn off her GHS, a third message appeared. It surprised her since he was not at all adept at texting.

_Where are you?_

With that one question he conveyed the entirety of his feelings and she second-guessed her choice in leaving without seeing him. Elize responded she was en route to Spirius to help test the prototype. She could not lie to him but even more so, Elize didn't want to burden him. She held her phone close with a wistful smile before turning it off.

There was no need to distract him from his duties from this point forward, she decided. Elize would face her fate head on as her train sped towards Trigleph; all events of her past were culminating to this point. Her journey that had begun alone would also end the same way.

-000-

When she met with Ludger in the CEO's office she was able to give him a cheerful smile. On his desk sat a picture of his wife and baby Elle, which made her beam and not without a little envy. She had made a stuffed Teepo backpack for Elle and handed it to Ludger to give to his daughter when she was older.

"Why don't you give it to her yourself when the time comes?" her friend asked.

A cloud of uncertainty crossed over her expression.

Her friend smiled in encouragement. "There will be many years and plenty of opportunities to cast _Blessed Arte the Pink_."

Elize burst out laughing at the reference and his natural optimism. "I envy your wife, Ludger, that she has such a caring, and considerate man as her husband." she smiled.

Her friend blushed bashfully. "Thank you. Someday you'll find someone who will be that for you, Elize."

Her faint blush in response led Ludger to raise an eyebrow. "Have you?"

"I…I have," she answered shyly.

"Why isn't this person here with you?"

"He's so busy; if I told him he'd want to just come, and go out of his way to make that possible even though he has so many things to do." Elize reasoned. "I didn't want to be an additional burden."

"I think he'd be angry that you didn't tell him," Ludger suggested. "If he cared, he'd want to be with you for support and do this together. At least, that's what I think."

Elize pondered Ludger's words and recalled how hard her friend had fought to save the other Elle when she decided to complete her quest alone to spare him. The other Elle had been a friend and Elize's guilt resurfaced with the memory. She excused herself for a moment and quickly sent a message. His response was immediate, as if Gaius had been waiting.

_Erston, I should have told you._

_ -What's wrong?_

_ I'm at Spyrius because I'm getting worse._

A long pause followed.

-_On my way._

_ No. Don't come. I'll be in good hands._

_ -Do not argue. I will be there._

When she tried to call and dissuade him she received a message that he had turned off his device. He really was on his way. Fearing that she had worried him over nothing, she turned to Ludger to ask how long it would be before the testing commenced.

Just as she was about to ask, Elize felt another sharp pain in her chest and it brought her to her knees. Ludger was at her side immediately and ordered his secretary Vera to call the medics to assist and deliver her to the medical wing. He was already speaking with Jude on his GHS when the medics declared Elize was unresponsive.

-000-

In the hazy fog of her mind, induced by drugs and by her body's own self-imposed stasis, Elize thought she heard laughter as she stood in a grassy field. Elize felt as though she was a stranger, but also that she had been here before. She wondered how she had come to this place and how long she had been standing in a space where time did not exist.

Elize continued to walk through the tall grass, swaying though she could not feel the breeze, trying to follow the source of the merriment. She climbed up a moss covered knoll only to find Milla and the Four conversing about the design of a new outfit.

_This doesn't make any sense…. _

"The straps should be red," grumbled Efreet.

"No, definitely brown," said Gnome.

_I must be dreaming….._

"Should it be longer?" asked Undine.

"How will I fight if it isn't short?" sighed Milla.

Sylph sighed, "Do you have any intention of fighting in it?"

Elize stared at them dumbfounded that she had somehow separated from her body and pierced the sky barrier only to float into the realm of spirits. They all turned simultaneously to notice the intruder who had wandered into their midst and blinked at her, equally in shock that she was standing there.

"_Elize_?" asked Milla with concern. "You're not supposed to be here."

When her friend asked her what had happened, Elize explained the situation to them, from the beginning up to the moment she felt her body was dying and everything went dark.

"I see," said Milla thoughtfully. "Let me assure you this is no dream. Your spirit seems to have wandered across the plane and through the barrier to the spirit realm, where all mana begins. You must have had a strong desire to see me for you to be brought directly here."

"You're the only friend I needed to say goodbye to," Elize smiled ruefully. Just as she was beginning to feel the regret of not seeing him before the end her friend interrupted.

"You're not dead," explained Milla. "This is just a temporary state of being. When your spirit is ready, it will return to your body. I'm sorry Elize. This is partly my fault. I should have destroyed Labari at the earliest opportunity."

Elize stared at her blankly and let that bit of information sink in.

"No, it was simply my fate. I'm relieved though," she exclaimed as Elize hugged her friend close. "There are still things I need to do. And...I shouldn't keep him waiting."

"_Him_?" asked Millia.

"Well…." Elize hesitated, not knowing where to start. "Someone special to me."

"Is this the human emotion they describe as 'love' or -?" asked Milla, wide-eyed with curiosity.

"Lust?" volunteered Sylph.

"No! It's not that!" she burst out, placing her hands over her cheeks. "I didn't expect it…especially with everything else going on. Still, I can't help but like him very much. So it must be...love."

"That's wonderful!" exclaimed Milla. "I had read that love was a very spontaneous feeling that cannot be controlled. Are you going to enter into the human pact of matrimony?"

"N-no," she stammered. "Not right now…if ever…we haven't…um, I don't know if that's what's in store for us."

"You're entering what they would call an illicit relationship, then?" her friend asked blankly.

"N-no!" said Elize horrified that Milla even knew what that meant. "Our feelings are mutual. We care about one another. He's helped me more times than I can count when I needed it. He even gave me something to remind me that I'm…" Her speech failed her momentarily. A slow smile crept into her shy expression. "...I'm 'cherished.' But it's just our secret for now."

"A secret relationship?" asked Efreet.

"Why is it a secret?" asked Milla.

"Perhaps they should not be together?" suggested Sylph.

"Is he married? asked Gnome.

"That would be most inappropriate," sighed Undine.

"He's not married!" assured Elize, wondering why speaking with them was just as difficult as speaking with Muzét.

"Perhaps he's already spoken for," Gnome interjected.

"He isn't," responded Elize in exasperation.

"Then why keep it a secret? The best relationships are those that burn bright with passion out in the open!" exclaimed Efreet excitedly.

"What would you know about it?" asked Gnome, shaking his head. "Relationships that are steady and solid like the earth are best."

Sylph frowned. "Love is fleeting and whimsical, like the wind."

"Since when were any of us love experts?" frowned Undine.

"Do I know him?" asked Milla, getting back to the point.

Elize looked away and mumbled a name. Her friend stepped closer and asked that she repeat it.

"It's…Erst-um…. It's King Gaius," she said at last.

Milla nearly fell over. The Four blinked at her in shock. Elize shrunk away from their scrutiny.

"Isn't he too old for her?" whispered Sylph as an aside.

"Age is not really a deterrent as long as they are both adults and their maturity is level," Undine whispered back.

"But are they compatible?" interjected Gnome.

"They would appear as different as day and night," concluded Undine.

"Or perhaps light and shadow," suggested Efreet.

"They do say that opposites attract," shrugged Gnome.

"So…you...and _Gaius_….? asked Milla tentatively, still trying to wrap her head around the idea. Elize sighed and looked away.

"I knew no one would believe it. That's also why I haven't told anyone."

"Are you _intimate_?"

Elize stared at Milla, shocked speechless. "I…no!" she finally blurted out, recalling the discussion on direct tethering. "I..We haven't done anything…_inappropriate_." her voice trailed. "Except…a hug, maybe I…k-kissed him?"

"_Skinship_," nodded Efreet knowingly.

"How bold," said Sylph with eyebrow raised. If Elize was still in her body her face would be flaming by now.

"It's difficult to believe, knowing what I know of you both, but judging by your reaction it must be true," concluded Milla.

"It's true," she insisted. "These past months we've crossed paths so often. The more time I spent with him the more natural it felt. He supports me without question. At first I thought it was simple infatuation, that he didn't feel the same…." Elize smiled in spite of herself. "I acted on impulse when I kissed him but he didn't mention it afterwards so I tried to ignore it. Instead my feelings grew stronger, and I was so surprised when he accepted me. Part of me feels he's doing it out of responsibility or obligation since he's so serious about everything."

"Do you really think that?" asked Milla.

"Even now I keep thinking there's just no way he feels the same and no way it could work since he's Gaius before he's Erston; that I'm just _Elize_ but he can't ever _just_ be Erston." She groaned and put her head in her hands, "We're so different."

"Perhaps not," her friend suggested. "Perhaps there was something in each of you that drew out your affection."

Elize pondered it. There existed a light in Gaius that brightened her darkness. He knew how to listen and when to soothe, since he understood her grief and restlessness from his own experience. He was dutiful, diplomatic and able to diffuse her anger by saying just the right thing at the right time. "I don't want to burden or hurt him. Especially not when I've turned out like this," she said quietly, looking down at her near transparent form.

"I think he's old enough to decide if he wants to take the risk of being burdened or hurt. It seems unlikely that Gaius would have offered himself without giving it some serious thought. You must have connected with him on a unique level. Based on my observations, he is preoccupied with his duty and does things via direct methods, with only his own sense of justice and propriety as a guide. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the first time he's ever honestly explored unclassifiable concepts like his emotions or his feelings towards someone else," concluded Milla. "Despite the age difference it seems you're both still novices."

"Like the blind leading the blind," giggled Sylph. Milla threw the spirit a disapproving glare.

"Gaius is far too serious for his own good. It would be beneficial for him to have someone to lighten his mood now and then. I have read that being able to show emotion to another is a sign of friendship and trust in a relationship. Does he smile in front of you?" asked Milla.

She remembered the hard to come by smile that touched his lips that night in Xian Du and grinned, "Rarely."

"Well if you've managed to do _that_, I'd say you're not incompatible."

"How…" began Elize. "With Jude, how did you come to the conclusion that he was the one who was most important to you?"

"I didn't notice it at first. It was such a gradual feeling. It wasn't until I realized I was attached to him that I was aware of my affection. He's clumsy, but earnest, and above all he's good and kind. Our fates were intertwined even before I ran into him at Talim, but it also seemed that our fates were meant to intertwine."

"Fates meant to intertwine..." repeated Elize.

"Once you've made your decision to walk with him or not, other paths will open for you."

For the first time, Elize pondered what her path would be if the operation proved successful. Though she never doubted Jude's abilities, the possibility never really occurred to her that she would fulfill her parents' wish and live a long and healthy life.

Elize felt a strange tugging behind her, and winced as a sharp pain shot through her chest. It came and left, since she was not actually in her physical body, but it was a shadow of what was happening to her in the real world.

"It seems your body is calling you back. You should not dwell here and divide your life's energy this way," said Milla, placing a gentle hand on Elize's forehead.

"Milla," Elize said as she reached out.

"Though I can no longer walk amongst you, I am always with you," her friend smiled.

She did not clearly hear the other words Milla uttered as her surroundings began to blur. At the same time she felt herself being pulled backwards, away from that space and time. She only remembered her friend's lingering touch as everything again went dark.

_"May the shadow be peeled away to give you new life; and should the darkness overtake you let us meet once more before you return to the light of Origin."_


	14. Hymn of life

**Chapter 14: Hymn of life **

Elize didn't know how long she had been sleeping in the darkness but she was not afraid. It was not like the cold dark of Larbari. This reminded her of a soft patch of moss or a bed of woven ivy in a midsummer's night. It smelled of green and dew, and she felt that if she opened her eyes, she would find herself lying on a blanket of newly sprouted vegetation on a forest floor, soaking up what she could of the sun's rays through the gentle swaying canopy of tree branches above.

It was the feeling of rebirth.

She could not recall how long it had been since she last heard anyone's voice; not Milla, nor Ludger or Jude's. When was it that she fought to save a young man and his sister? She could not remember their names. How long ago did she fight in the coliseum or dine with friends? It seemed ages ago that she had last spoken to her family.

What had she been doing?

In that dreamlike state she saw a spectrum of visions, disjointed and out of order. They were images related to the dark side of human nature; the experiment chamber at Labari Hollow, a tribesman's spear pointing at her father, the unwelcoming faces of the children who threw stones at her, her house burning in the Mon Highlands, wagons of wounded and dead rolling down the streets of Hamil, the rat that died in the trap in the corner of her cell, Isla taking silver coins into her hands, the sight of Jiao disappearing in an explosion, the frost bitten feet of orphans, the fallen form of Nils and Wingul standing over him.

Other images glimmered like stars lighting the night. Of those she recognized were fully bloomed _princessia_ in a bed of snow, piano keys, Wingul slicing a napple for her, Driselle's favorite teacup, her mother's smiling face, glistening ice pillars cast from Rowen's mystic arte, Milla's awkward bangs, Jude scribbling equations on a chalkboard, the light of the setting sun through porange trees, Alvin's poker face, Ludger's folded pink underwear, a pencil twirling through Leia's fingers, Jiao's outstretched hand, the sight of doves flying away as she opened her window in Kanbalar….

It was like watching the illustrated pages of a book she had read and knew by heart - the book of her life.

In her heavy slumber, bordering between the realms of unconscious and wakefulness, she felt something was missing. She recalled the sight of a beautiful long sword, gleaming as brightly as the sun goddess who granted light to the world, the large hand that gently touched her face and the faint smell of lavender.

Who had she forgotten?

She stayed there in the abyss, calmly waiting for something to happen. Teepo's voice was buzzing in the background singing a song about porange wine that made people dizzy. The spyrite seemed to be singing along with him.

But it was Milla's voice that finally shook her back to her senses.

_"May the shadow be peeled away to give you new life; and should the darkness overtake you let us meet once more before you return to the light of Origin."_

It resounded in her head like an incantation to bring her back to life; a hope and prayer from the Lord of Spirits.

"…_Milla_!" she said as her eyes opened. Her voice was barely audible from lack of use. She wanted to sit up but found herself unable to do so. None of her limbs were working properly. Her stomach muscles seemed nonexistent. She may as well have been transplanted into Teepo's squishy body because it didn't feel like she had a skeleton.

Elize waited for something to happen and eventually the feeling started to come back to her skin. It was cool in the room but her left hand felt distinctly warm, as if someone had been holding it for some time. There was a chair pulled up next to her bed that was now empty.

When she concentrated long enough she could move the tips of her toes and curl her fingers. As time went by she found she was able to shift her legs. Finally, after much trial and error and pulling up against the metal bed rail for leverage she was able to sit up in bed and dangle her feet over the edge. She gently peeled the heart monitor wire from her chest.

Unsteadily, Elize took small steps until she reached the door and triggered the sensor to open the door. Outside of the room was a lab, with four other adjoining doors. She wandered towards each of them and noticed the name plates. Her former Labari inmates were all here and an immediate wave of relief washed over her.

There was an open balcony door close by and she wandered towards it. The city lights illuminated against the dark purple, predawn sky and the sounds of the never sleeping city hummed. She could hear the train in the distance.

Elize rubbed her skin where the adhesive had been, and while looking down she noticed a faint vertical scar down the center of her chest, barely visible but definitely new, visible from the unbuttoned collar of her hospital gown. She reached up to feel the base of her neck and felt a thin welt from where the implant had been cut out. The hard metal object beneath her skin was no longer there.

Elize leaned against the railing and breathed in the offerings of Trigleph. The air was still heavy with mist, and from her position some thirty or so flights up she could see the sky begin to glow in the east. A slow smile spread across her lips when she realized that breathing deeply no longer sent sharp pains through her chest. Elize blinked away the tears.

She was finally free of Labari.

As Elize puzzled over what this meant for her future, a future she had not given much thought to during her quest, the sound of shouting and rushing footsteps approached behind her.

She turned to see Jude, nearly out of breath, leaning against the door frame with a desperate look on his face. A group of nurses and doctors were hovering behind him trying to see Elize for themselves. She cocked her head in question as Jude immediately went to her and held her firmly by the shoulders with a half relieved, half admonishing expression.

"There you are," he breathed. "When the nurse paged an emergency message that your monitor stopped registering heart beats I was beside myself with worry. Your vital signs were stable before I left so I thought something must have gone horribly wrong. I never thought you'd pull the wires off yourself. I wasn't expecting you to wake up so soon."

"Sorry, Jude…" she said in a hoarse whisper with a small smile. "I didn't mean to worry you."

"Don't you know she has a terrible tendency to wander off when she's expected to stay still?" asked a deeper voice from behind. Elize looked over Jude's shoulder to see Gaius standing there with arms folded. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

He merely shook his head in resignation and walked over to drape his coat over her shoulders. "She also tends to adventure most inappropriately in her night clothes," he said and gently touched her cheek with the back of his hand, which she covered with her own.

When they had somehow forgotten they were not alone, Jude cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Let us go back," said Gaius escorting her inside, "the air is damp."

Elize was told that she had been in stasis for three weeks after her surgery to allow Jude's spyrite device time to heal her body. When she asked about the scar on her chest, other doctors explained that her heart had stopped working properly before the surgery and they had to open her chest to massage it back into a regular beat. Thankfully her notes guided Dr. Mathis during the operation, and afterwards, he devised ways to make it even safer for the the others.

"Rowen and Lady Driselle will be expected tomorrow. Alvin and Leia have been visiting you pretty regularly, and the Chancellor also stopped by. They were a little shocked that your illness had become so severe, but they were all pulling for you," said Jude, patting her on the head in that familiar way.

"I couldn't ask for better friends," smiled Elize, grateful for her good fortune.

"His Highness arrived just as your surgery was wrapping up," added Jude, looking at Gaius as if in a new light. "I knew he was your sponsor, but I had no idea that…you two…," he coughed nervously. "I should have guessed by the way he was acting. Whenever he became restless Ludger just sent him down to the Spririus basement to test the new training drones and keep him occupied."

"It was a worthy exercise," said the king offhandedly. "The data used in my fight simulations has increased the efficiency of the machines by 200%."

"I don't think any new recruits will ever pass the Spirius Corporation agent exam now if they keep your settings," chuckled Jude.

"You stayed with me the whole time? For three weeks?" Elize asked Gaius incredulously. She half expected the Rieze Maxian government to presently be in an uproar. Yet even now as she was back in bed propped up by a small pile of pillows he was calmly holding her hand. It was the same warmth that had lingered with her even when she first woke. A look of worry crossed her face.

"I came only after I had finished what I needed to do with the new parliament in Fenmont," he added, sensing her concern and guilt. "Rowen helped me take care of the rest, though I am in his debt since he also wished to be here. I must leave again shortly to exchange places with him but I wanted to make certain you were well."

She stared at him thoughtfully, wondering if he was the same King Gaius she had met when she was younger. Perhaps this was who he had always been underneath; a profound and feeling man with just convictions who held fast to his vows. But even more so, he was a man who cared deeply about everything important to him. Gaius had simply added her to that list.

The Four had been right and wrong about love. It burned bright with passion; but it was also solid like the earth and whimsical as the wind. In a moment such as this, it was calm like the surface of water, reflecting one's own heart. Love was all of these things and she would live long enough to experience all of its elements.

"They really are love experts," Elize mused quietly. When Jude asked, Elize explained her dream of meeting Milla. A wistful smile crossed her friend's lips, certain that Milla was watching over them, and he said no more.

-000-

It would be a few more hours before her doctors and nurses released her. Dressed in her traveling clothes again, she tapped her mage's staff lightly on the lobby floor as she used it for support. Erston and Ludger were chatting quietly nearby as she approached the main entrance.

"There you are," said Ludger with a wide grin. "I thought maybe you had skipped the bill."

"You can give my sponsor the bill," she teased.

"I'm just grateful you didn't charge an exorbitant amount as your cousin Rideaux did to you," sighed the king. Ludger chuckled, though a while back recalling that debt had made him shudder.

"Having been asleep for three weeks, I bet you're hungry," said Ludger. Just thinking about food made her salivate.

"Perhaps I should feed you before I leave," sighed Erston, handing her a handkerchief.

"Have a good time then, you two," said Ludger, waving them away.

"You're not coming?" asked Elize.

"Three's a crowd, right?" he smirked. Elize flushed. "Remember what I told you," Ludger nodded to the king. At that Gaius blushed deeply and looked away to clear his throat. He tugged at her hand and headed towards the exit while giving a backwards glance towards Ludger, who only chuckled behind them.

-000-

The pair found a café by following the scent of its freshly baked bread and pastries down the street. Initially they sipped their coffee and tea in silence while gazing at the passers by outside but it was Gaius who spoke first.

"What are you going to do now that your quest is finished?" he asked.

_Direct as usual,_ thought Elize, hiding her amusement behind her cup.

"I really haven't had much time to consider," she said honestly. After all, she had just come back to life.

"Of course," he said, brow furrowed.

More silence followed but this time it was Elize who picked up the conversation. "Driselle once said that no matter where I go I would always have a home at Sharil Manor."

"You wish to go back to your position there?" he asked quietly.

Elize paused and thought about it, then shook her head. "It's not what I want for myself, though I've had the honor of serving House Sharil until recently. Now that my journey is coming to an end, I'm wondering what I should do. Perhaps I should pay my respects to my parents and Jiao."

"How long will you stay then in Auj Oule?" he asked carefully.

"I…haven't really thought that far ahead," she let out a small laugh.

"The Minister of Healing in Kanbalar has retired," he said suddenly. "I am in need of someone to replace him who has had the proper training. The position oversees the entire Ministry. I am thinking of giving the position an additional duty of overseeing the _princessia_ flower cultivation project you have petitioned for."

She listened to him speak while eating her delicious plate of strawberry crepes but as he finished, her fork came to a halt.

"The position is yours if you wish," he concluded. "You are more than qualified." Looking at her directly without dropping his gaze, she knew this was her queue to respond. Elize was certain that whatever answer she gave would decide if their fate would continue to intertwine.

_Once you've made your decision to walk with him or not, other paths will open for you._

She was speechless. The thought did cross her mind that she should give herself more time to consider it, but his expression told her he needed an answer before he left and she was certain no matter how much time passed, she would always come to the same conclusion.

"It would be my honor to assist the king," she responded dutifully. A slow smile spread across her face and she could feel the heat rise to her cheeks. She quietly added, "Kanbalar is a beautiful city. Your library is also very extensive and I haven't had a chance to fully explore it. But most importantly, the thought of being able to see you makes me happy."

Gaius looked uncomfortable as he added, "I am not always available to see my ministers when they seek an audience with me. My duties require that I attend meetings with my staff at all hours, otherwise I am in the throne hall listening to petitions. If not in Auj Oule, I am constantly traveling."

"Oh," said Elize, trying not to let her disappointment show. "Of course."

Gaius cleared his throat and took something out of his jacket pocket.

"Someone suggested, however, that this will give you 'free access' to my attention and my…_person_…without anyone questioning it," he said haltingly as he slid a shiny object across the table.

Elize's eyes were entranced by the platinum ring encircled with pale pink colored diamonds - the color of _princessia_ in the snow. She felt herself take a small gasp of air as she realized she was forgetting to breathe. Without even realizing it her fingers were reaching out to touch it and confirm that it was real, but she stopped herself.

"I would be honored if you accepted it," said Gaius, discreetly placing a hand over hers. Elize fixated on the ring, sparkling in the morning light. In her mind Teepo's voice kept repeating, _Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh._

"Elize?" he cocked his head in question. She looked at him blankly.

"Will you permit me?" he asked stiffly as he positioned the ring to slip it onto her finger. There was a hint of apprehension in his face and that rare moment made him seem extremely vulnerable.

Milla was right. He always did things his way, with a direct frankness wrapped in a sense of propriety. In that pivotal moment, as if she could see all the years to come, he would always give her his sincerity, if not his time, enveloped in the warmth of his affection for as long as they could be together.

"Are…are you sure?" she finally managed to say after finding her voice again. Her eyes searched his for any signs of doubt but she found none.

"I would ask you the same," he said with a self-deprecating smile. Elize slid her finger through in response. She was amazed it fit perfectly.

As if reading her thoughts he added, "I had been holding it for three weeks. One would think I would know the size of your hand by now."

He looked thoroughly embarrassed and his attempt to maintain his composure made her laugh. Any further awkwardness between them was dispelled. She had come full circle with the cursed life that was tied in so many ways to Gaius, but Elize decided that she would continue to walk with him still, forging a new path for fates that were meant to intertwine.

* * *

Author's note: Yes, Elize/Gaius get their happily ever after. This is one of _my_ stories, after all. All my heroines get their HEA even if it doesn't always work out like that in RL. Or with poor Jude, as _Kuroiikawa_ aptly mentioned to me. -Kero


	15. Epilogue

**Epilogue: The promise of dawn**

In the early morning hours Elize left Castle Gaius while the moon was still hovering in the faintly glowing sky. She opted for the simple dark wool robes of her ministry. It was easier to move inconspicuously in them as opposed to the finer garments her attendants suggested she wear in the castle to denote her rank and status.

As the cable car was not yet in operation she took the long way down the side of the mountain, past the temple, and into town. Finding the correct house, she knocked on the door of a residence off the main street of the capital.

An old woman opened it and gave her a near toothless grin. A younger man joined her.

"Good morning. I came as soon as I could," smiled Elize.

"Thank you for coming personally, My Lady. We are honored."

"No need for that," she said as she stepped inside. "How is my patient today?" The old lady responded she was well in a croaked voice.

"And the coughing?"

"It's not nearly as severe after you gave us the first vial," he answered in relief. "Grandmother was actually able to sleep through the night this time."

"This illness is particularly severe to babies and the elderly this time of year so you need to watch that her fits aren't so violent that it constricts her airway or causes bleeding in the lungs. Once in the morning and again in the evening will suffice at this dosage," instructed Elize. "Send word to me at the castle immediately if you discover any adverse reactions to this new formula."

"I'm so grateful that you considered Grandmother's allergies. None of the other doctor's could help since we don't have much money, but you're giving it to us for free."

"Consider it compensation in exchange for you contributing to my research on _princessia_ extract. Since I created the formula to begin with, it's not a problem for me to revise it. They've given me my own lab in the castle, after all," Elize smiled courteously. Having checked the old woman's vital signs and finding them within normal range, she turned to go.

"Such a nice young lady," crooned the old crone. "Won't you stay for breakfast? My grandson made a fine roast and he's _unmarried_ to boot."

Her grandson only sighed resignedly, "Grams, how many times do I need to tell you not to try to matchmake for me? Besides, this is Lady Elize. She's _already_ _engaged _\- to King Gaius, no less."

The old woman patted Elize's hand. "Well, isn't he lucky?" she smiled. "However did a stern man like that find such a kind, gentle lady to be his wife?"

Elize only blushed but gave no response. It wasn't the first time she had heard it and she supposed it would take time for people to reconcile that despite their outward differences, she and her fiancé were well matched.

-000-

He woke up groggy and with mild headache. Gaius vaguely recalled the dream that lingered like a memory. He had been in the Silent Caves years ago when he was still leader of the Chimeriad. He and Wingul had been finishing off stragglers from Merad's forces but just as he was following his companion out, he thought he heard the light, silver laughter of a child and the voices of her parents carried by a breeze.

_"Ooh, so pretty!"_

_"It's cold, dear, let's not dawdle."_

_"Come along, Elize."_

When he asked Wingul if he had heard it as well, his friend merely laughed it off and told him the locals had warned the caves were haunted with the laughter of a little girl.

_"No one lives in the Silent Caves," _Wingul had dismissed.

"Elize…" he called out and looked up towards the carved and vaulted ceiling of his chambers until his blurry vision cleared. In the pre-dawn hours he recalled drinking with Rowen late last night. The details of their conversation as well as the bet he made with "the old man" were a bit foggy. He wasn't usually one to get drunk. After all, he had drunk his soldiers under the table countless times after numerous victories in the past. A scowl came across his face as he remembered that his prime minister knew his weakness with potato based alcohol.

_"Let me present you with a glass of the finest spirits that Elympios has to offer,"_ Rowen had said, bringing a bottle out from nowhere last night. _"Consider this a toast to you and my dearest Elize for your impending nuptials."_

_"You're fine then, with all of that?"_ Erston had asked tentatively.

_"Did you ever ask me for my opinion when you stole her heart away from her devoted mentor and guardian? No? Then why ask now?"_ Rowen asked with a unsettling smile.

_He's obviously not happy about any of it_, Erston had thought with a sigh at the time.

What transpired afterwards had to do with a bet. The nuances of the game were that if he was able to play a round of chess with his Prime Minister and win, then Rowen would not seek to deter them, but if he could not, then Rowen would kidnap Elize and spirit her away to a place where Gaius would never find her.

"Wily old man," he grumbled as he ran a hand through his tousled hair. He couldn't immediately recall how the evening had ended but he felt something was missing. His hand fell to the empty space beside him, vaguely warm from when she was there. He furrowed his brow and conjured up the image of her coming into the study during end of the game, just as Rowen was about to wipe the floor with him, and how she admonished her mentor for being so mean. The old man only responded with an evil chuckle.

He remembered Elize then ushered him to his room where she began the gentle ministrations of giving him water and pills, their names and purpose escaping him now, along with a head towel. A flush came to his cheeks as he remembered the feeling of her hand on his chest as she loosened his necktie and undid his shirt buttons to make him comfortable.

He recalled that in his alcohol induced state he did not ask her to leave, which would have been proper. He fell asleep with the distinct feeling that she had curled up beside him.

Now she was missing. In his haze, his grogginess prevented any chance to reason why that would be. Had she gone back to her own room? Or, had Rowen kidnapped her as he had threatened? Gaius needed an immediate explanation for her absence. He couldn't let Rowen take her, after all. He stumbled out of his chambers and without his coat headed towards the castle entrance.

Just as the sun was rising he caught sight of her coming back up the steps and through the doorway. Her golden hair caught the morning light, framing her angelic face, and he stood there in both awe and relief.

The sight of him surprised her. His striding forward to wrap her securely in an embrace left her puzzled. Gaius was not one for public displays of affection but at this hour they were still alone in the entrance hall.

"Erston?" she said. "What's wrong? Why are you up so early?" She had taken up the habit of calling him by his real name when they were alone, and he never liked his name so much as when she said it.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that question?" he countered. "The thought of Rowen kidnapping you did come to mind when I awoke. For my part I needed to confirm if a search party was necessary." She laughed that he was actually being sincere. She kissed his cheek if only to thank him for his unfounded concern.

Elize brushed back a lock of hair from his sleepy face. "You know he was just kidding about that, right? I was out treating a patient."

"You can never tell with Rowen Ilbert, wily old man that he is," insisted Gaius.

"Seriously, Erston?" Elize sighed.

He relented and held her tighter. "Though I commend you in taking to your duties as Minister of Healing so thoroughly, I must admonish you for going out alone without your guards. Your connection to me will always put you at risk. Though I know you are an adept arte user it would ease my mind if I knew they were shielding you in my stead when we are apart."

"I'm sorry," she apologized and hugged him back. "I'll keep that in mind."

Knowing that he would be absurdly busy as soon as his assistants woke, Elize asked to spend a little more time with him, a request he usually found ways to accommodate without hesitation. When they sat down to an early breakfast in his private dining chamber a messenger happened to stop by and drop off a package.

"It's from Jude," she remarked excitedly and opened it immediately.

Had he been a petty man he would have commented on how irksome it was for her to be so excited at the simple mention of another man's name, but since he harbored no ill will towards Jude and the young man had single-handedly saved the woman he cherished, Gaius held his tongue.

It was a spyrite, with a note saying it was redesigned to replace Teepo's booster. The thought of being able to speak with her alter ego again in the open sent an immediate giddy expression to her face. But she looked tentatively towards the man sitting next to her. How would people react if his betrothed walked around talking to a floating doll?

She thought back to how Gaius used to walk around with Muzét floating along behind him so perhaps those in the castle were accustomed to seeing strange things. Still, she waited for his response.

He only gave her a gentle smile in return. "If you have missed him, I see no reason why you can't turn him back on. As much as I cannot sever Gaius from Erston, I cannot expect you to sever Teepo from yourself." He paused. "But please refrain from having him chomp on my head, at least in public," he added with tentative apprehension.

Elize giggled at the thought and agreed. For now, she would only turn Teepo on in her lab and remind him of the new 'no chomping on the king' rule.

"He did say you tasted like a Gaius dumpling," she teased.

"As if I would know," he sighed. His stern expression only made her laugh more.

_Finis_.

* * *

Author's note: This was a fun challenge. If you read the first four chapters when they were first published, they may look a bit different now and I hope I smoothed out all the choppiness from the extreme re-writes.

This wasn't just another romance but the story of a girl who was struggling to be free of her dark past, and in the process of going through that gritty mire she found her OTP. The concept of "intertwining fates" was something Milla had said in the game and I borrowed it as inspiration to draw their connections by bringing Wingul, Jiao, Labari, Rowen and Jude to the forefront. Finally Gaius' dream/memory in this epilogue was just more icing.

Surprisingly when I peeked inside Gaius I found he has _A LOT of feels_, just like Elize. I based their relationship on the premise that his stern exterior had softened over time while her cheery exterior was a shell for something more morose. That gave them a chance to meet in the middle but there needed to be catalysts and tons of character development, which I was giddy to invent and had help from the other Xillia characters.

Gaius' powers are referenced to light and the sun while Elize's powers are all rooted in darkness. These are two complicated people who would at first seem to be polar opposites, and a very unlikely couple but by their differences they draw out their true selves and accept each other wholly.

The _princessia_ flower, a plant that glows in the darkness despite the extreme cold in which it grows, becomes the symbol of their relationship. I know it's weird but I ship it. I ship it badly. Feel free to disagree.

Let me know what you think via PM and/or please RxR.

Until next time,

-Kero (7/26/15)


End file.
